Toward Modular and Flexible Open RAN Implementations in 6G Networks: Traffic Steering Use Case and O-RAN xApps.

Marcin Dryjański,Łukasz Kułacz,Adrian Kliks

doi:10.3390/s21248173

Marcin Dryjański, Łukasz Kułacz + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/s21248173

Copy DOI

Journal: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)	Publication Date: Dec 7, 2021
Citations: 44	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Poznań University of Technology

Abstract

The development of cellular wireless systems has entered the phase when 5G networks are being deployed and the foundations of 6G solutions are being identified. However, in parallel to this, another technological breakthrough is observed, as the concept of open radio access networks is coming into play. Together with advancing network virtualization and programmability, this may reshape the way the functionalities and services related to radio access are designed, leading to modular and flexible implementations. This paper overviews the idea of open radio access networks and presents ongoing O-RAN Alliance standardization activities in this context. The whole analysis is supported by a study of the traffic steering use case implemented in a modular way, following the open networking approach.

Highlights

Introduction in6G NetworksTraffic Steering UseThe current world and national economic development will be significantly driven by the practical and wide-scale deployments of 5G cellular networks
We did not concentrate on the performance of an individual xApp, but rather we focused on the modularity and flexibility of the whole O-Radio Access Network (RAN)
Scenario 1: We start with the default, reference setup with no active xApp; at the 50 s time stamp, xApp1 is started, with the default CHEAP policy, and no changes are observed; at 100 s, the policy changes to PERFORMANCE, leading to some mean bitrate increase but at the expense of some outage degradation; at 150 s, the system returns to the prior setup

Summary

Introduction

Introduction in6G NetworksTraffic Steering UseThe current world and national economic development will be significantly driven by the practical and wide-scale deployments of 5G cellular networks. One of the key aspects in this context is the increasing role of artificial intelligence tools which are considered for 5G and for future 6G networks [3,4] In parallel to this development process, another significant transition is happening in the wireless communication domain that is not part of the main 5G ecosystem [5]. The architecture of the Radio Access Network (RAN) is rapidly evolving from a solid, black-box approach ( known as silo) towards guaranteeing a high level of openness In the former case, the hardware manufacturers are typically delivering harmonized and integrated solutions to MNOs, leaving them rather limited possibilities of influencing the internals beyond a typical configuration.

Objectives

Results

Conclusion