Good morning, everyone. On behalf of myself and Secretary Raimondo, I’d like to welcome you to the inaugural International Open RAN Symposium. I’m so pleased to be able to join you here today.

I’d first like to thank the teams at NTIA’s Institute for Telecommunication Sciences and its international affairs office for making this convening possible.
This is the largest convening the Department of Commerce has ever organized on Open RAN, and the first time we have brought together policy and technical experts in such a comprehensive way.

You all represent the leading companies, experts, and governments helping to make Open RAN a reality, making this gathering the center of the universe when it comes to fulfilling that mission.

Now let me be clear: we at the Department of Commerce and in the Biden-Harris Administration remain fully committed to global industry’s success in deploying Open RAN – understanding the potential it holds in enhancing the resilience, security, and innovative potential of our ICT supply chains and our economic and national security.

Our Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, administered by NTIA, represents our long-term commitment to a thriving Open RAN ecosystem within the U.S. and partner nations. As many of you know, the Innovation Fund is a 10-year, $1.5 billion grant program aimed at accelerating open and interoperable networks, wireless innovation, and supply chain resilience. Put simply, we’re putting our money where our mouth is. We have already awarded more than $140 million through the Fund, and we are now reviewing applications for up to $420 million more from our next round of grants.

Even still, we recognize that for Open RAN to achieve global scale and deliver fully on its expected benefits, it will take a cross-border ecosystem of network operators, vendors, and likeminded governments all working in close partnership.

That’s why I’m so pleased that we’re joined at this Open RAN Symposium by representatives from over 21 countries and six continents, spanning from governmental officials to academia to industry leaders.

It’s also why Commerce – in close collaboration with colleagues at the State Department and other U.S. agencies – has long put Open RAN at the heart of our global 5G outreach.

Soon you’ll hear from Ambassador Stephan Lang, U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, and I want to thank him for his committed partnership with our National Telecommunications and Information Administration on this priority.

For example, last year we were pleased to join counterparts from the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, and Australia in launching the new Global Coalition on Telecommunications, or GCOT.

GCOT brings together the most like-minded governments on issues like telecoms diversification and 6G, so that we can move more quickly, target more concrete outcomes, and be more ambitious in helping industry overcome barriers.

Later this morning, you will get to hear from current GCOT members on a panel about international cooperation, and I hope that session encourages additional governments to participate in the Coalition’s ongoing efforts.

Another panel will unpack the Prague Proposals on Telecommunications Supplier Diversity – the first set of international principles regarding the role of governments in promoting developments like Open RAN. The U.S. Government and numerous partners in Asia, Europe, and Latin America have already endorsed these groundbreaking principles, and I encourage others to do so as well.

As you can see, this mission is far-reaching and growing stronger each day. And one thing remains true: while Open RAN can and should continue to be driven by global industry, policymakers also have an integral role to play, and a responsibility to uphold, in helping to support this mission’s success.

We must work to tackle obstacles within the ecosystem, convene the right stakeholders on the right issues at the right moments, and foster real public-private dialogue, so that our individual efforts add up to something greater than the sum of its parts.

The International Open RAN Symposium represents our latest effort to do just that, so I hope you take full advantage of this unique opportunity by targeting the most impactful, transformative outcomes possible.

Thank you all once again for joining us here in Colorado. And with that, I’m proud to declare this symposium “open,” and I wish you all an excellent stay in Colorado and continued success in the days ahead.