Aarna Networks conducted a live webinar on May 10th, 2023 that covered the state of the art on O-RAN. The discussion comprised sessions from our experts Yogendra Pal, who took the audience through the O-RAN Architecture Overview, Pavan Samudrala, who gave an overview of the O-RAN Community and the different open source, collaborative efforts revolving around O-RAN, and Bhanu Chandra, who took the audience through advanced features and use cases of O-RAN. See the webinar slides. Watch the webinar on-demand.
The orange color-coded components are adapted from the O-RAN Alliance group and the blue color-coded components are as per 3GPP specification. The various disintegrated RAN elements are installed on O-Cloud. The disaggregated O-RAN components are managed through O-RAN Service Management and Orchestration (SMO). SMO uses the standard interface O2 for bringing up the distributed infrastructure. SMO also has interfaces (O1/O2/M-Plane) to various RAN elements and it decides the connection between network elements. It uses the O1 interface for carrying out configuration management.
The O-RU (Radio Unit) has an abstraction layer, but each of these interfaces has an FCAPS defined and SMO is responsible for managing them. SMO has a component called Non-Real Time RIC, this is an abstraction layer of all the logic which was present in previous generations of deployments like 3G and 4G. All the RAN elements in traditional deployment have been abstracted and replaced by two components Non-Real Time RIC and Near-Real Time RIC. Near-RT RIC is placed closer to the Control Plane of the disintegrated RAN elements. The intensive computing functions are present in the Non-Real Time RIC.
O-RAN Alliance and The Linux Foundation are developing the de facto standards for the O-RAN community. O-RAN Alliance defines the specifications and O-RAN Software Community follows those specs for implementation of O-RAN software. The key goals of the O-RAN Sc are:
TIP ROMA
The goal of the TIP ROMA working group under the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) is to facilitate testing of disaggregated Open RAN elements. It is a functional testbed made up of O-RAN partners O-RU, O-CU, O-DU, and 5GC running on common hardware and was created with the intention of fostering the maturity of the Open RAN orchestration and management automation (ROMA) product and solution ecosystem. It helps in outlining the requirements of Telecom Network Operators and by deciphering those real-time problems and requirements of MNOs, the community has defined test cases. The O-RAN vendors (O-CU, O-DU, O-RU, SMO) come together and carry out interoperability tests as per these laid out test cases and can get badging eligibility. Based on the results of these tests, the telecom vendors can pick the O-RAN vendors.
i14y Lab
Hosted by O-RAN, the i14y Lab is another interoperability test lab. Through the Interoperability Lab (i14y lab), Aarna Networks took part in the O-RAN Global PlugFest Autumn 2022. We collaborated with CapGemini Engineering to demonstrate both the O1 and O2 interface of the Aarna AMCOP SMO. This lab is mostly driven by system integrators who run interop tests and recommend solutions to silicon vendors.
NonRTRIC
rApps
With the help of rApps we can solve various use cases like -
Traffic Steering Use Case
Models Used in Traffic Steering Use Case
Input data in Traffic Steering Use Case
QoE Use Case
Models Used in QoE Use Case
Input Data in QoE Use Case
QoS based resource optimization Use Case
This use case is relevant when we must provide priority to a certain group of users, such as first responders in an emergency, by pre-empting normal users or allocating them more bandwidth.
Context based dynamic handover management for V2X
In a V2X ecosystem, vehicles and infrastructure elements need to communicate with each other and exchange information in real-time to enable various applications such as traffic management, collision avoidance, autonomous driving, and infotainment services. Context-based dynamic handover management aims to ensure uninterrupted and reliable communication by dynamically managing the handover process when a vehicle moves between different coverage areas or network technologies.
RAN slice SLA Assurance
RAN slicing allows network operators to partition their RAN resources into multiple virtualized slices. Each slice can be allocated to different services, applications, or user groups, enabling customized network capabilities and QoS (Quality of Service) levels. RAN slice SLA (Service Level Agreement) assurance refers to the process of monitoring and ensuring the fulfillment of agreed-upon service-level objectives for RAN slices in a network environment. It involves continuous monitoring, fault detection, performance optimization, and effective communication to maintain the desired quality of service for each RAN slice.
Massive MIMO Optimization use case
Massive MIMO optimization enables the efficient utilization of network resources, mitigates interference, improves coverage and capacity, and enhances the overall quality of service in wireless communication networks, particularly in dense urban environments or high-traffic areas.
For the technical details on the AI/ML models used in SMO for setting up policies of the first two use cases please check our webinar.
By incorporating AI/ML model training and deployment in O-RAN SMO, network operators can benefit from automated decision-making, proactive network management, and improved efficiency. The models can assist in optimizing network resources, enhancing user experience, and enabling intelligent orchestration of the O-RAN environment.
Thanks to AMCOP's comprehensive O-RAN SMO, a cloud-native application for orchestrating and managing O-RAN network activities, network operators can manage multi-vendor RAN settings and select best-of-breed network functions for validation and interoperability testing. Check the Aarna Networks product page to learn more.
See the webinar slides. Watch the webinar on-demand.