Open RAN depends on many vendors bringing hardware, software and network functions into a shared validation environment. That openness creates an important security challenge: participants need to test interoperability without exposing confidential data, intellectual property or product results to others in the ecosystem.
At VIAVI Solutions’ VALOR facility, protection begins before testing starts. Vendors follow a structured onboarding and security screening process, then receive dedicated test lines segmented from other activity in the lab. The same principle extends from physical access to network controls and reporting, helping keep equipment, software and results separated throughout the validation cycle.
Building security into the test environment allows openness and confidentiality to work together. Vendors can evaluate products in a multi-vendor setting while maintaining control over sensitive information, creating a more practical foundation for collaboration. As open RAN expands, secure shared infrastructure can help the ecosystem test with greater confidence while preserving the integrity of each participant’s technology.
VIAVI Automated Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN (VALOR) is a purpose-built, AI-enabled Lab-as-a-Service for Open RAN in Chandler, Arizona. To learn more about VALOR, visit: https://www.viavisolutions.com/en-us/valor
Steve Saunders:
Let me ask you a question. What VALOR is doing here is almost paradoxical because it's testing an open environment. It's encouraging interoperability, but the results have to be confidential to the vendors who are under test until they're not, until they agree that they're not. How do you ensure that confidentiality?
Wilfred Luiz:
So first of all, whenever a vendor comes in, we make sure we onboard them in a specific onboarding pathway that we have. We have a very structured onboarding process where we ensure that first of all, the vendor passes the screening process, security screening process that we have. And once the security screening is passed, we allocate them a specific test line. And that test line is segmented in our network in such a way that no customers can or no vendors can actually see each other's stuff. So you're given a dedicated test line, they're sticking to that specific dedicated test line.
And once a vendor is able to complete their testing and once we are able to complete their testing as well, they integrate their product, we complete the test and we produce results. Those specific results are sent back to them on the same portal they were able to sign in. And that's segregated as well. So we make sure that way no customer reports are mismatched or not mixed.
Steve Saunders:
You're not crossing the streams.
Wilfred Luiz:
Correct.
Steve Saunders:
But it starts at physical security with different pods and then that moves up into a virtual set of security protocols. Is that right?
Wilfred Luiz:
Correct. It starts from physical security and then it goes to network security and then we segment them over there. And then even down to the reports, we make sure that nothing is convoluted, so yeah.
Steve Saunders:
That's pretty cool.
Wilfred Luiz:
Absolutely.
Steve Saunders:
I mean, it's really important, but it's also your kind of a representation of how communications networks should be structured in the future.
Wilfred Luiz:
We try to focus on security being baked into the design of VALOR. So security comes first, you shift left and we make sure security's first. Ensure that our customers' data is safe, their IPs are safe and whatever the equipments or the software they send to us, we make sure it stays protected and we make sure the integrity doesn't get affected while we test their products as well as we ensure our confidentiality, like I mentioned before.
Steve Saunders:
I think that's a great answer to my question about this paradox at the heart of VALOR, that you want to be extemporaneous, you want to be free flowing, you want to move quickly. But what you're saying is that you can do all of that but you can still ensure absolute security at the same time. That's an achievable dream.
Wilfred Luiz:
Correct. Yes. We already have some secure steps in process. We want to improve our procedure here in VALOR, trying to make sure that everything is secure here in VALOR.