(Telecompaper) Spain's Telefonica has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japanese operator Rakuten Mobile to cooperate on the development of OpenRAN, 5G Core and OSS technologies. The partners said they intend to run joint lab tests and trials of OpenRAN architecture, focusing on the role of Artificial Intelligence in RAN networks. They will also jointly develop proposals for optimal 5G RAN architecture and OpenRAN models as part of industry efforts to achieve quicker time to market, new price-points and boost the potential of software-centric RAN.