As you may know, there are two main components to RIC or RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs) as below: Closed-loop control running at time scales of 10ms to 1s (Near-Real-Time, or Near-RT, RIC with xApps) Closed-loop control runs at time scales of 1s or more (non-RT RIC with rApps). What about the real-time control loops operating […]

Generally speaking, I see many use the same word for different meanings, sometimes they need to refer to O-RAN and write OpenRAN and vice versa. So let’s understand the main difference between them as below: Why Do We Need O-RAN? The strong push for Future RANs to be built on a foundation of virtualized network […]

Virtualization is a journey that the telecoms industry has been on for several years to transform network functions into virtual network functions (VNFs). The VNF software is then decoupled from the purpose-built hardware and run on standardized, common off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware. The interfaces between each component in such a setup may still be closed or proprietary. […]

First, we need to understand the definition of Fronthaul. Fronthaul is the transmission connection between the Radio Frequency (RF) module and the baseband processing Unit (BBU) in the mobile wireless network.  In the traditional distributed RAN or D-RAN, the fronthaul distance is short as the RF module and BBU are directly connected via optical fibers. […]

5G needs to move from CPRI to eCPRI because eCPRI uses standards-based Ethernet for fronthaul, replacing proprietary CPRI connectivity. This shift enables higher precision timing capabilities essential for vRAN and openRAN deployments on general-purpose server hardware, making the network more flexible and cost-effective. Why 5G needs moving from CPRI to eCPRI? eCPRI enhances 5G networks […]

The biggest challenge in transitioning from traditional RAN to Open RAN is the integration of Open RAN components. Guess why! absolutely due to RAN itself getting disaggregated into smaller pieces coming from different vendors (multi-interoperability) in different layers (Horizontal and Vertical) from Control, User to Management. Below is the conclusion, I quoted from Tietoevry’s white paper about […]

3GPP defined the functional splits in 38.801 to formalize potential protocol split options. Functional splits are intended to allow functions to run in a central location ( ex. Data Center ) Vs. distributed in the radio heads ( ex Site Location). There are 4 factors to be taken into consideration when choosing the right functional […]

An Open RAN (O-RAN) is a nonproprietary implementation of a RAN that allows interoperability between cellular network equipment provided by different vendors. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are virtualizing the RAN to achieve cloud-like agility and economics. As per statistics, The virtualization of the RAN network is expected to grow at a 19% CAGR (compound annual […]

Going from expectations to reality means Open RAN is on the right road to go from reality to expectations. It’ll take some time and needs more cooperation between MNOs and OpenRAN vendors.  Open RAN is about choosing the optimal product from a variety of products that meet specifications for each function -> Meaning avoiding Vendor […]

vRAN and OpenRAN are not new generations like 4G, 5G, or even 6G. It’s a new way of implementing of access domain in a new way helping at the end to improve the flexibility, cost, and agility in the RAN domain. Some points should be considered below: Selecting the right vendor that has a good solution that […]

Open RAN by disaggregation involves CU (Centralized Unit) and DU (Distributed Unit) virtualization. By decoupling hardware and software, Open RAN makes it possible to select different vendors and solutions for hardware and software and to manage their lifecycles separately. More specifically, this makes it possible to use COTS (Commercial off-the-shelf) general-purpose hardware in the RAN and avoid […]