The Open RAN Coalition is closing down, according to a report surfacing at MWC 2026 — a quiet end for a group that spent years pushing operators and policymakers toward interoperable radio access networks.

Fierce Network reported the group's wind-down from Barcelona, where the mobile industry has gathered for its annual congress. The report gives no date for the formal dissolution and names no successor organization, which leaves open the question of who — if anyone — will carry the advocacy portfolio forward.

Why does the closure matter?

The Open RAN Coalition spent recent years lobbying for open interfaces, multi-vendor networks and supply-chain diversity in the RAN. Its disappearance removes one of the more visible industry forums for that agenda.

What the report does not say matters as much as what it does. There is no explanation of why the group is disbanding, no statement on residual funding, and no word on whether its members will fold their work into another body.

What happens next?

For now, the closure stands as a fact without a stated cause. Whether other alliances absorb the coalition's remit, or the open RAN cause now rides entirely on individual operator deployments and vendor contracts, will become clearer as MWC 2026 proceeds.