5G NR O-RAN for Configurable Network Deployment (ARD/256)

Objectives To study 5G NR O-RAN architecture and protocols. To carry out test to demonstrate a proof-of-concept configurable 5G NR system consisting of O-RAN white box hardware. R&D methodology This project will study and deliver a technical report on 5G NR O-RAN architecture, protocols and software-hardware integration, including: (1) Analysis on hardware-software requirements and trade-offs for functional split variants; (2) Software design to adopt C-plane (Control Plane) and U-plane (User Plane) messages and message transfer procedure; (3) Analysis on 5G NR base station capacity supported by commercially available O-DU (Open Distributed Unit) platforms. Moreover, a proof-of-concept 5G NR O-RAN system integrating base station software and white box hardware will be set up to be used for testing. Impact and benefits 5G NR (New Radio) networks are being rapidly deployed internationally. O-RAN (Open Radio Access Network) is a new design principal for realizing 5G network infrastructure based on open hardware-software architectures and interfaces, which could facilitate the deployment of cost effective and configurable 5G NR networks. A number of parties have shown strong interests in collaborating with ASTRI.