xApps for Open RAN systems
Project Description
The Radio Access Networks (RAN) architecture for cellular communication networks is moving towards open and modular concepts, for example the O-RAN architecture as in Figure 1. The O-RAN architecture defines clearly separated modules for the base station e.g. the Central Unit (CU), Distributed Unit (DU) and Radio Unit (RU) as well as modules responsible for the controlling of the base station resources and functions such as Near-Real Time RAN Intelligent Controler (RIC) and Non-Real Time RIC. All the modules from the O-RAN architecture are communicating via either 3GPP defined interfaces (e.g. E1, F1, X2, Xn, NG) or O-RAN specific interfaces. The ‘openness’ principle is that the O-RAN components are decoupled from the underlying hardware (i.e. virtualized and running in the cloud) and that modules from different vendors can be easily combined and deployed.
O-RAN is increasingly gaining momentum in the industry and it is surely a technology development with high potential. TNO as an independent research laboratory is first to address this technology development in The Netherlands. TNO has O-RAN based laboratory kit embedded in its 5G test/trial facilities from the vendor Accelleran, that includes the Near-Real Time RIC, see dRAX | Accelleran. Conceptually, the Near-Real Time RIC (dRAX) is hosting xApps that are responsible for dynamic configuration and optimisation of base station resources/functions e.g. related to (massive) MIMO beamforming, network slicing, differentiated scheduling and/or mobility management, etc. The project goal is to learn, document and build an example xAPP with the use of TNO’s O-RAN lab facilities.
The intern will have the opportunity to work with the O-RAN facilities at TNO and gain knowledge of this new architectural concept for the base station. More concretely, the project contains the following tasks:
- Learn from the available Accelleran documentation/tutorials about the working of xApps and how an xApp should be build. As a result a short summary report should be written (i.e. a kind of instruction manual).
- Setting up a development environment for the xApps build up on the Accelleran product.
- Search for available open source xApps (e.g. Rimedo Labs to Integrate and Open Source TS xApp with ONF's SD-RAN), select one example xApp and implement it in TNO’s O-RAN lab facility. If time allows, small improvements/adaptations can be also implemented and tested.
- Define and recommend improvements/adaptations to the selected xApp considering also AI/ML concepts. These recommendations are also input for the follow-up MSc thesis project with duration of nine months.
The final result of the internship work is:
- Written short manual about how to build-up an xApp with the O-RAN lab-kit at TNO.
- Working version of an example xApp.
To apply
Part of the application is an interview at TNO. However, as a first step, you need to contact the supervisor: Remco Litjens (