Multi-UE 5G RAN Measurements: A Gamut of Architectural Options
The Radio Access Network (RAN) of Fifth Generation (5G) communication systems critically influences the overall performance and cost of a 5G system. 5G RANs allow for a gamut of implementations ranging from closed (carrier-grade) implementations by traditional vendors that are expensive and configur...
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IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10816630/ |
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| author | Andreas Ingo Grohmann Mauri Seidel Sebastian A. W. Itting Ray-Guang Cheng Martin Reisslein Frank H. P. Fitzek |
| author_facet | Andreas Ingo Grohmann Mauri Seidel Sebastian A. W. Itting Ray-Guang Cheng Martin Reisslein Frank H. P. Fitzek |
| author_sort | Andreas Ingo Grohmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Radio Access Network (RAN) of Fifth Generation (5G) communication systems critically influences the overall performance and cost of a 5G system. 5G RANs allow for a gamut of implementations ranging from closed (carrier-grade) implementations by traditional vendors that are expensive and configured by the vendor to RANs that are compliant with the specifications of the O-RAN ALLIANCE, i.e., to so-called O-RANs. O-RANs are available in closed-source and open-source implementations; O-RANs can be configured by the operator and are cheaper than the closed RANs. Understanding the packet-level performance characteristics of these different 5G RAN implementations is a prerequisite for informed network planning and deployment, particularly for Non-Public Networks (NPNs) for specific use cases. Existing measurement studies have mainly considered a single User Equipment (UE); however, practical networks typically operate with multiple UEs. We conduct packet-level measurements for concurrent over-the-air transmissions to (downstream) and from (upstream) multiple UEs for a wide range of packet transmission rates. We consider current representative implementations of three RAN architectural options: closed RAN (based on Nokia system), closed-source O-RAN (based on Airspan system), and open-source O-RAN (based on srsRAN Project system). We find that the one-way packet delays and the packet loss probabilities can vary sharply among the multiple concurrently operating UEs (which are identical in model and configuration) in the closed RAN and open-source O-RAN; whereas, the packet-level performance tends to be more consistent among the UEs in the closed-source O-RAN. Our measurement results provide a baseline for future research on refining RAN operations for multiple concurrent packet flows. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-382f77d0d09842a1b1c5444ad046065e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj-art-382f77d0d09842a1b1c5444ad046065e2025-01-07T00:01:48ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-01131846186610.1109/ACCESS.2024.352346710816630Multi-UE 5G RAN Measurements: A Gamut of Architectural OptionsAndreas Ingo Grohmann0https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4873-8022Mauri Seidel1https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6086-9938Sebastian A. W. Itting2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5266-1543Ray-Guang Cheng3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6511-3546Martin Reisslein4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1606-233XFrank H. P. Fitzek5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8469-9573Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyDeutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyCentre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (CeTI), Dresden, GermanyDepartment of Electronic and Computer Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, TaiwanSchool of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USADeutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, GermanyThe Radio Access Network (RAN) of Fifth Generation (5G) communication systems critically influences the overall performance and cost of a 5G system. 5G RANs allow for a gamut of implementations ranging from closed (carrier-grade) implementations by traditional vendors that are expensive and configured by the vendor to RANs that are compliant with the specifications of the O-RAN ALLIANCE, i.e., to so-called O-RANs. O-RANs are available in closed-source and open-source implementations; O-RANs can be configured by the operator and are cheaper than the closed RANs. Understanding the packet-level performance characteristics of these different 5G RAN implementations is a prerequisite for informed network planning and deployment, particularly for Non-Public Networks (NPNs) for specific use cases. Existing measurement studies have mainly considered a single User Equipment (UE); however, practical networks typically operate with multiple UEs. We conduct packet-level measurements for concurrent over-the-air transmissions to (downstream) and from (upstream) multiple UEs for a wide range of packet transmission rates. We consider current representative implementations of three RAN architectural options: closed RAN (based on Nokia system), closed-source O-RAN (based on Airspan system), and open-source O-RAN (based on srsRAN Project system). We find that the one-way packet delays and the packet loss probabilities can vary sharply among the multiple concurrently operating UEs (which are identical in model and configuration) in the closed RAN and open-source O-RAN; whereas, the packet-level performance tends to be more consistent among the UEs in the closed-source O-RAN. Our measurement results provide a baseline for future research on refining RAN operations for multiple concurrent packet flows.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10816630/5GO-RANNon-Public Network (NPN)open-sourcepacket delaypacket loss probability |
| spellingShingle | Andreas Ingo Grohmann Mauri Seidel Sebastian A. W. Itting Ray-Guang Cheng Martin Reisslein Frank H. P. Fitzek Multi-UE 5G RAN Measurements: A Gamut of Architectural Options IEEE Access 5G O-RAN Non-Public Network (NPN) open-source packet delay packet loss probability |
| title | Multi-UE 5G RAN Measurements: A Gamut of Architectural Options |
| title_full | Multi-UE 5G RAN Measurements: A Gamut of Architectural Options |
| title_fullStr | Multi-UE 5G RAN Measurements: A Gamut of Architectural Options |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multi-UE 5G RAN Measurements: A Gamut of Architectural Options |
| title_short | Multi-UE 5G RAN Measurements: A Gamut of Architectural Options |
| title_sort | multi ue 5g ran measurements a gamut of architectural options |
| topic | 5G O-RAN Non-Public Network (NPN) open-source packet delay packet loss probability |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10816630/ |
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