Challenges of O-RAN Integration with existing RAN Architecture
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School of Electrical Engineering |
Master's thesis
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Date
2024-10-29
Department
Major/Subject
Communications Engineering
Mcode
Degree programme
Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences
Language
en
Pages
60
Series
Abstract
Radio access networks (RAN) have undergone significant evolution across generations of mobile networks. This evolution has been driven by the need to adapt to different types of communication services and cater to the diverse needs of end-users. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) could deploy proprietary RAN solutions offered by the Mobile Network Vendors (MNVs) without the possibility of fine-tuning or replacing individual components. The only option for the MNOs is to treat the entire RAN infrastructure as a black box by connecting UEs on one end and the core network on the other. This restricted MNOs from reconfiguring RANs to adjust various deployment options, coordinating between network elements, interfacing RANs from different vendors, and preventing optimization in network planning. The newly introduced Open RAN (O-RAN) changes the status quo by bringing transparency and flexibility to the design and deployment of RAN, allowing the MNOs to procure network elements and interfaces from different vendors. On the one hand, O-RAN helps the MNOs reconfigure network architecture and optimize performance. On the other hand, integrating O-RAN with existing RAN infrastructure could be daunting for the MNOs and MNVs. The telecommunications industry and research community have yet to fully understand the complexities and practicalities of O-RAN integration. In this realm, this thesis aims to study the O-RAN integration challenges and propose potential recommendations. This thesis brings practical understanding to O-RAN integration by drawing observations from the analysis of technical specifications, software development life cycle of O-RAN components, and deployment attempts of the O-RAN infrastructure in the wild. The results from the thesis highlight the need for employing a more diligent integration process and for further research to study the technical challenges in depth.Description
Supervisor
Jäntti, RikuThesis advisor
Rao, Siddharth PrakashKeywords
O-RAN, radio access networks, multi-vendor ecosystem, disaggregated networks, mobile network architecture, integration challenges