Mission Statement of the OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation
The OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation is an Open Source Radio Access Network global public-private initiative, hosted by the Linux Foundation, dedicated to building the open, secure, and interoperable software-defined Radio Access Network that the world’s communications infrastructure will run on — from commercial 5G and AI-native 6G networks to the mission-critical connectivity.
A Dual-Use Mandate
OCUDU itself is built from the ground up to serve two worlds simultaneously. On the commercial side, it provides the open, vendor-neutral CU/DU foundation that operators, equipment vendors, and hyperscalers need to deploy scalable, interoperable 5G networks and define AI-native 6G in code before standards lock in. On the defense side, it answers the U.S. Department of Defense’s need for a secure, software-defined RAN that can be trusted, adapted, and deployed in highly specialized operational environments. Rather than maintaining separate codebases for civilian and military use, OCUDU embraces a single shared foundation, dramatically reducing integration costs and accelerating the pace at which advanced wireless capabilities reach both communities. OCUDU is designed to be technology that’s equally at home powering a stadium’s network, and a deployed tactical communications node.
How We’re Organized: Foundation and Technical Project
OCUDU operates as two distinct but deeply connected layers, a structure modeled on proven open source governance:
The OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation is the governing and collaborative umbrella; it sets strategy, manages membership, funds infrastructure, and fosters the broader ecosystem of integrations, blueprints, conformance tooling, and research partnerships that make the technology adoptable at scale.
Sitting within it is the OCUDU Technical Project, the actual open source software: the production-grade CU and DU codebase, its CI/CD/CT pipelines, and the reference architecture that developers build on and contribute to.
This separation matters: the Foundation ensures long-term sustainability and broad participation, while the Technical Project stays focused on shipping excellent code. Members contribute to both, shaping direction through Foundation governance, and advancing the technology through the Technical Project.