US-based network software provider Mavenir recently announced that it will build a new 5G O-RAN (Open Radio Access Network) smart city in Ban Chang, Thailand, reported by the Sina.net., on May 24. To this end, Mavenir will collaborate with Thailand’s state-owned telecom National Telecom, Thailand’s 5G smart city service provider 5GCT, and Cisco Thailand. The Ban Chang Smart City 5G network operates on Millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum, connecting to Thailand’s two big cities: Pattaya and Bangkok. The spectrum boasts to be ideally suited for a network operating Internet of Thing (IoT) sensors, drones and smart poles, and various applications that require fast data uplink to the host for real-time analysis and city management. It is estimated that global O-RAN market will grow to US$3 billion in 2024, up from merely US$180 million in 2020, and O-RAN will account for 9% of the global RAN market by 2024, according to MIC (Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute, a major government think tank and leading IT research institute in Taiwan.