The O-Ran Alliance has conducted a series of plugtests to demonstrate the functionality and multi-vendor interoperability of O-Ran based network equipment. The events were held in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, India, Russia and several sites in Europe and the US, in the third worldwide plugtest organised by the group. A total of 94 companies participated.
The plugfest in Japan was hosted by NTT Docomo, KDDI, Rakuten Mobile, SoftBank and YRP in the Tokyo area and Yokosuka. Activities focused on multi-vendor interoperability testing of the Open Fronthaul interface in a 5G NSA/SA setup. The demo achieved 1Gbps download throughput, as well as multi-vendor vRAN integrations.
Another stream focused on 3GPP RF conformance testing and demonstration of autonomous RAN outage detection and self-healing using O-RAN Non-Real-Time and Near-Real-Time Radio Intelligent Controllers (Non-RT and Near-RT RIC). The near-RT RIC concept and detailed mechanisms were also showcased to support latency assurance for end-to-end network slicing. Potential parameters to be supported in the O-RAN specifications were identified as study results.
As a complementing activity, selected participants started a study on RAN emission characteristics. In addition to the hosts, participants included Fujitsu, HCL, JMA Wireless, Keysight Technologies, NEC, Nokia, NVIDIA, Samsung, VIAVI Solutions and Wind River.
Open Fronthaul multi-vendor interoperability
The plugfest in Korea was hosted by LG Uplus at its 5G Innovation Lab in Seoul. The primary focus was on evaluation of Open Fronthaul for multi-vendor interoperability of a 5G SA system (FR1, TDD). In addition to the hosts, participants included Altiostar, DZS, Intel, Keysight Technologies and NEC.
Activities at the Taiwan-based plugfest were performed by two hosts. Auray, at its OTIC and Security lab in Taiwan in Taoyuan hosted multi-vendor interoperability testing for an indoor scenario, focusing on Open Fronthaul as well as scenarios based on O-RAN end-to-end test specification v2.0. Chunghwa Telecom in Yangmei hosted validation of multi-vendor E2E solutions for O-RU, O-CU/O-DU with real core network, as well as a demonstration of service management and orchestration using O-RAN Non-RT RIC.
In addition to the hosts, participants included Aethertek, Alpha Networks, Arcadyan, Calnex, Compal, Delta Electronics, Foxconn, iConnext, Institute for Information Industry, Intel, Inventec, IP Infusion, ITRI, JPC connectivity, Keysight Technologies, Lions Technology, Liteon, Metanoia Communications, MICAS, MiTAC Computing, NKG, O’Prueba, Pegatron, QCT, Rohde & Schwarz, Sageran, Sercomm, Viavi Solutions, Wiwynn and WNC.
The plugfest in India was hosted by Bharti Airtel at NOC Manesar in Gurgaon, Delhi. The primary focus was on traffic steering using the O-RAN Near-RT RIC, physical infrastructure security, O-RU M-plane and S-plane tests, Open Fronthaul gateway tests and E2E testing of O-RAN.
In addition to the host, participants included AMI, ASOCS, Capgemini Engineering, Cisco, Intel, IP Infusion, Keysight Technologies, Mavenir, Sercomm, STL, TCS, Viavi Solutions, VMware and VVDN.
In Russia, tests were hosted by Skoltech at its OpenRAN 5G Lab in Moscow. The activities focused on 3GPP compliance validation for O-RU and on end-to-end integration of O- RAN 5G gNB with commercial 5G core. Other participants included Foxconn, Keysight Technologies and Xilinx.
TIP joins in Europe, US
In Europe, BT, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, TIM and Vodafone teamed up with the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) to host the Joint European O-RAN and TIP PlugFest at OTICs in Berlin, Madrid, Paris and Turin. The focus was on O-RU conformance testing, E2E multi-vendor integration with performance and functional testing, load and scale testing of O-CU, security testing, validation and demonstration of RIC, xApps and rApps, demonstration of multi-vendor O-RAN based architecture and xHaul transport.
Other participants in Europe included Accelleran, ADVA, Advantech, AirHop Communications, Anritsu, Capgemini Engineering, Ciena, Cisco, Comba Network, Dell Technologies, DZS, EANTC, Exfo, Facebook, Foxconn, Fujitsu, Intel, IP Infusion, IS-Wireless, JMA Wireless, Juniper Networks, Keysight Technologies, Mavenir, MICAS, MTI, NEC, ONF, Precision OT, Radisys, Rohde & Schwarz, VIAVI Solutions, VMware, Wind River, Wiwynn and Xilinx.
In North America, TIP and the Linux Foundation joined the plugfest and proofs of concept hosted by AT&T and Verizon at three labs, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Rutgers University in New Jersey, and the TIP Community Lab on the Facebook campus in Menlo Park, California.
PlugFest activities focused on Open Fronthaul conformance testing and multi-vendor interoperability. Proofs of concept demonstrated O-Cloud infrastructure behaviour in latency sensitive applications, RIC demonstration of successful E2AP procedures and measurement collection via E2 Service Model, RAN Slice SLA, AI-enabled management of multiple-operator/multi-vendor RAN with O-RU pooling and multi-vendor slices.
Participants included Analog Devices, Anritsu, Calnex, Capgemini Engineering, Casa Systems, CIG, Commscope, Corning, Foxconn, Fujitsu, highstreet technologies, Intel, IP Infusion, JMA Wireless, Juniper Networks, Keysight Technologies, Mavenir, MTI, National Instruments, NEC, Radisys, Rohde & Schwarz, VIAVI Solutions, VVDN and Wind River.
