OpenAirInterface: A Flexible Platform for 5G Research

Driven by the need to cope with exponentially growing mobile data traffic and to support new traffic types from massive numbers of machine-type devices, academia and industry are thinking beyond the current generation of mobile cellular networks to chalk a path towards fifth generation (5G) mobile networks. Several new approaches and technologies are being considered as potential elements making up such a future mobile network, including cloud RANs, application of SDN principles, exploiting new and unused portions of spectrum, use of massive MIMO and full-duplex communications. Research on these technologies requires realistic and flexible experimentation platforms that offer a wide range of experimentation modes from real-world experimentation to controlled and scalable evaluations while at the same time retaining backward compatibility with current generation systems. Towards this end, we present OpenAirInterface (OAI) as a suitably flexible platform. In addition, we discuss the use of OAI in the context of several widely mentioned 5G research directions.

[1]  Mahesh K. Marina,et al.  On the Benefits of RAN Virtualisation in C-RAN Based Mobile Networks , 2014, 2014 Third European Workshop on Software Defined Networks.

[2]  Markus Rupp,et al.  System Level Simulation of LTE Networks , 2010, 2010 IEEE 71st Vehicular Technology Conference.

[3]  Sachin Katti,et al.  SoftRAN: software defined radio access network , 2013, HotSDN '13.

[4]  Jennifer Rexford,et al.  Toward Software-Defined Cellular Networks , 2012, 2012 European Workshop on Software Defined Networking.

[5]  Zhong Fan,et al.  Emerging technologies and research challenges for 5G wireless networks , 2014, IEEE Wireless Communications.

[6]  Vikram Srinivasan,et al.  CloudIQ: a framework for processing base stations in a data center , 2012, Mobicom '12.

[7]  Haitao Wu,et al.  Sora: High Performance Software Radio Using General Purpose Multi-core Processors , 2009, NSDI.

[8]  Giuseppe Piro,et al.  Simulating LTE Cellular Systems: An Open-Source Framework , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology.

[9]  Joseph R. Cavallaro,et al.  WARP, a Unified Wireless Network Testbed for Education and Research , 2007, 2007 IEEE International Conference on Microelectronic Systems Education (MSE'07).

[10]  Junyi Li,et al.  Network densification: the dominant theme for wireless evolution into 5G , 2014, IEEE Communications Magazine.

[11]  Mischa Schwartz,et al.  ACM SIGCOMM computer communication review , 2001, CCRV.

[12]  Bin Wang,et al.  System-level simulation methodology and platform for mobile cellular systems , 2011, IEEE Communications Magazine.

[13]  Milind M. Buddhikot.  Towards a virtual cellular network with variable grade spectrum: challenges and opportunities , 2013, MobiCom.

[14]  Theodore S. Rappaport,et al.  Millimeter-Wave Cellular Wireless Networks: Potentials and Challenges , 2014, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[15]  Zhengang Pan,et al.  Toward green and soft: a 5G perspective , 2014, IEEE Communications Magazine.

[16]  Robert W. Heath,et al.  Five disruptive technology directions for 5G , 2013, IEEE Communications Magazine.