A bipartisan group of senators led by Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) has called on President Biden to put $3 billion toward funding Open Radio Access Network (ORAN), so those equipment vendors can compete in the 5G market with Chinese network tech suppliers Huawei and ZTE.

That came in a request as the President prepares his 2022 budget. The money would go into the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund and the Multilateral Telecommunications Security Fund ($1.5 billion in each), which were created in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021.

Chinese suppliers are subsidized by the government, so Warner and company want to boost U.S. tech's chances of competing, particularly since the U.S. is in the process of ripping and replacing Huawei and ZTE tech from networks built with government subsidies, and is being pressed by some, including FCC commissioner Brendan Carr, to bar Chinese telecoms from network buildouts with private capital.

Also Read: FCC's Rosenworcel Pushes Deep Dive on ORAN

"For years, we have called on telecommunications providers in the U.S., as well as our allies and partners, to reject Huawei 5G technology, but we have not provided competitively-priced, innovative alternatives that would address their needs," the Senators wrote in a letter to the President, a copy of which was provided to Multichannel News. "As wireless networks adapt to the growing demands for 5G connectivity, a new Open RAN architecture will allow telecommunications providers to migrate from the current hardware-centric approach into a software-centric model that relies heavily on cloud-based services. This architecture will break down the current end-to-end proprietary stack of hardware; lower barriers to entry and prompt innovation; diversify the supply chain and decrease dependence on foreign suppliers; and spur Open RAN deployments throughout the United States, particularly in rural America."

The FCC, which is overseeing the suspect tech rip-and-replace program, has been collecting string on the ORAN alternative, including holding a virtual forum on the technology last year.

Also signing on to the letter were Intelligence Committee vice chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Susan Collins (R-Me.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Angus King (I-Me.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

The Open RAN Coalition is telling the Trump Administration that moving to an open, interoperable more software-centric (virtualized) 5G network architecture is the best way to protect network security. 

The coalition, whose members include an eclectic mix of wireless providers, edge giants, tech companies like Qualcomm, and DISH, outlined its proposal to the National Telecommunications & Information Administration in comments on implementing a national 5G security strategy. 

Related: Tech Companies Coalesce Around Safer 5G RAN Supply Chain

"[B]y standardizing or “opening” the protocols and interfaces between the various subcomponents (e.g., radios, hardware and software) in the RAN [Radio Access Network], networks can be deployed with a more modular design without being dependent on a single supplier," they told NTIA. 

The Trump Administration is trying to phase major 5G tech suppliers Huawei and ZTE out of U.S. 5G networks because of concerns about the influence of the Chinese government. 

"A software-based network moves the network functions to software as opposed to the past, where network operators would deploy purpose-built physical appliances for network functions," it told NTIA, network appliances provided primarily by Chinese companies.

The coalition argues that a more modular design means more suppliers, and that means operators can more quickly replace problematic equipment. It will also allow for the deployment of security closer to the edge of the network, including off-the-shelf patches. 

Related: Senate Bill Would Fund More Secure 5G Supply Chain

The coalition invoked COVID-19 as an illustration of the value of moving toward a more virtualized network. 

"Cloud architecture allows for rapid, standards-based deployment of infrastructure as needed," it said. "It is a far more scalable and dynamic approach than the long cycles needed to develop, test, deploy, and configure for fixed function network appliances. For example, in response to live traffic on the 5G network, with a cloud architecture, the 5G core can immediately detect the need, and automatically provision and deploy capabilities as needed. Network operators have seen this dynamic play out as they provision their networks in response to the unprecedented demands placed on networks during COVID-19. These developments will increase network resiliency."