A Prototype of Multi-RAN eNB with Dynamic Baseband Resource Allocation for Heterogeneous Private LTE Networks

Abstract

In recent years, private LTE systems have been deployed in various usage scenes and will evolve while incorporating innovative technologies developed for 5G and beyond. The future private LTE system will offer a variety of services in a private area and needs to be developed on the premise of heterogeneous network. In this study, we propose a multi-RAN (Radio Access Network) eNB with a dynamic BB (Baseband) resource allocation for the future multi-RAN private LTE system. In the proposed multi-RAN eNB, BB resources are shared by a plurality of RANs and appropriately allocated to each RAN, leading to an efficient operation with limited BB resources. We also introduce a multi-RAN eNB prototype supporting multiple frequency bands including mmW (millimeter Wave) bands at 28 GHz and 32 GHz. This experimental equipment incorporates five BBUs (BB Units) that can be flexibly allocated to a plurality of RANs. In the basic experiment, we demonstrate that the prototype eNB allocates the BBUs to two RANs using 28 GHz and 32 GHz bands and performs simultaneous operation in these mmW bands.