software.yml

ran:
  name: Radio Access Network (RAN)
  preamble: This page summarizes most relevant open-source solutions for RAN applications.
  software:

    - title: Open Air Interface (OAI)
      contributors: OAI Alliance
      license: OAI Public License
      status: Active
      community: Community support available
      url: https://www.openairinterface.org
      desc: |
        OAI provides software-based implementations of LTE base stations (eNBs), UEs and EPC compliant with LTE Release 8.6 (with an additional subset of features from LTE Release 10). OAI source code is written in C to guarantee real-time performance, and is distributed under the OAI Public License, a modified version of the Apache License v2.0 that allows patent-owning individuals and companies to contribute to the OAI source code while keeping their patent rights. Both the eNB and UE implementations are compatible with Intel x86 architectures running the Ubuntu Linux operating system. (An experimental version for the CentOS 7 is under development.) Several kernel- and BIOS-level modifications are required for these implementations to achieve real-time performance, including installing a low-latency kernel, and disabling power management and CPU frequency scaling functionalities.

    - title: srsLTE
      contributors: SRS
      license: GNU AGPLv3
      status: Active
      community: Community support available
      url: https://www.srslte.com/
      desc: |
        srsLTE provides software implementations of LTE eNB, UE, and EPC compliant with LTE Release 10 (with some features from higher versions, e.g., NR Release 15). The software suite is written in the C and C++ programming languages and it is distributed under the GNU AGPLv3 license. srsLTE is compatible with the Ubuntu and Fedora Linux distributions. It does not require any kernel- or BIOS-level modifications to achieve real-time performance though disabling CPU frequency scaling is recommended.

    - title: Radisys O-RAN gNB DU
      contributors: Radisys
      license: Apache v2.0 and O-RAN Software License v1.0
      status: Active
      community: Community support unavailable
      url: https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/o-du/l2
      desc: |
        Radisys is a 4G/5G vendor that contributes to a number of open source software consortia, including O-RAN and several Open Networking Foundation (ONF) initiatives.As part of O-RAN, Radisys provides an open source implementation of the 3GPP NR stack for the gNB DU. To date, does not represent a complete solution that can be deployed to run real-world experiments (as with OAI and srsLTE), as it lacks integration with open source CU and RU implementations. However, this represents a key first step toward the availability of an open source 5G gNB based on the CU/DU split principle. he currently available open source code provides a complete implementation of the MAC and RLC layers. The Radisys release also provides a layer that manages the operations of the DU and interfaces it with the CU, the RU and external controllers, when available. The codebase is aligned with Release 15 of the 3GPP NR specifications. The NR MAC uses the Functional  Application  Platform  Interface  (FAPI)  to interact with a scheduler, adapted from an LTE implementation. The RLC layer supports TM, UM, AM modes.

core:
  name: Core Network
  preamble: This is a list of open source software that can be used to run LTE and 5G Core Networks.

  categories:
    - name: Evolved Packet Core (EPC)
      preamble: This section lists open EPC implementations.
      anchor: epc
      software:

        - title: OAI CN
          contributors: OAI Alliance
          license: OAI Public License
          status: Active
          community: Community support available
          url: https://www.openairinterface.org
          desc: |
            OAI-CN  is  written  in  the  C  and  C++  programming  languages. Dynamic  QoS  with  establishment,  modification  and  removal of  multiple  dedicated  bearers,  and  policy-based  QoS  update are also  features implemented by  the OAI-CN  MME. Traffic Flow Template (TFT) operations, such as fault detection, filter rules,  and  IP-filters  are  also  provided.  Finally,  implicit  (e.g., service request failures) and explicit (e.g., bearer resource and delete commands) congestion indicators are supported, along with multi-Access Point Name (APN), paging, and restoration procedures.

        - title: srsEPC
          contributors: SRS
          license: GNU AGPLv3
          status: Active
          community: Community support available
          url: https://www.srslte.com/
          desc: |
            The EPC implementation included in the srsLTE software  suite,  namely,  srsEPC,  is  written  in  C++. It is compatible with  the  Ubuntu  and  Fedora  Linux  operating  systems.  The HSS  supports  the  configuration  of  UE-related  parameters  in the  form  of  a  simple  textual  csv  file.  UE  authentication  is supported  by  XOR  and  Milenage  authentication  algorithms. srsEPC  enables  per-user  QoS  Class  Identifier  (QCI)  and  dynamic or static IP configurations.

        - title: Open5GS
          contributors: Open5GS
          license: GNU AGPLv3
          status: Active
          community: Community support available
          url: https://open5gs.org
          desc: |
            This  EPC  is  written  in  C  and  distributed under  the  AGPLv3  license. It  is  compatible  with  a variety of Linux distributions, such as Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and  CentOS,  as  well  as  FreeBSD  and  macOS.  Differently from  other  EPCs,  Open5GS  supports  the  delivery  of  voice calls  and  text  messages  through  the  LTE  network  instead of  relying  on  traditional  circuit  switching  networks.  This  is achieved by leveraging Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and SG-SMS solutions, respectively. Moreover, Open5GS includes a PCRF module, through which operators can specify network policies in  real-time,  including  prioritizing  a  certain  type  of  traffic. The implementation of 5GC functionalities is currently under development.

        - title: OMEC
          contributors: ONF, Intel, Deutsche Telekom, Sprint, AT&T
          license: Apache v2.0
          status: Active
          community: Community support available
          url: https://www.opennetworking.org/omec
          desc: |
            This is a high performance open source implementation  of  LTE  Release  13  EPC  developed  by  the  ONF together with telecom operators and industry partners, such as Intel, Deutsche Telekom, Sprint, and AT&T. OMEC is built using a NFV architecture to sustain scalability in large-scale  scenarios  such  as  those  of  5G  and  IoT  applications. It offers connectivity,  billing  and  charging  features.  OMEC  can  be used as a standalone EPC, or integrated in larger frameworks, such  as  Converged  Multi-Access  and  Core  (COMAC).

    - name: 5G Core
      preamble: This section lists open 5G core implementations.
      anchor: 5gc
      software:

        - title: free5GC
          contributors: free5GC
          license: Apache v2.0
          status: Active
          community: Community support available
          url: https://www.free5gc.org
          desc: |
            free5GC is  written  in  the  Go  programming  language,  and  it  is compatible with machines running the Ubuntu Linux operating system.  This  implementation,  which  was  initially  based  on NextEPC  (now  Open5GS),  supports  the  management  of  user access,  mobility,  and  sessions  (AMF  and  SMF),  and  the discovery  of  the  services  offered  by  other  network  functions (Network  Repository  Function  (NRF)).  It  also  includes  network  functions  to  select  which  network  slices  to  allocate  to UEs (Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF)), to manage, store and retrieve user data (Unified Data Management (UDM) and Unified Data Repository (UDR)), to perform UEs authentication  within  the  network  (Authentication  Server  Function (AUSF)). Functions for the operation, administration and management of the core network (Operations, Administration and Maintenance  (OAM)),  and  to  perform  network  orchestration, among others, are also included.

ran-frameworks:
  name: RAN and Core ran-frameworks
  preamble: This page lists the main RAN, edge, and core ran-frameworks
  categories:
    - name: Mobile Frameworks
      preamble: The following frameworks enrich the capabilities of the radio access or core network.
      anchor: mobile

      software:
        - title: O-RAN
          contributors: O-RAN Alliance and O-RAN Software Community members
          license: Apache v2.0, O-RAN software license v1.0
          status: Active
          community: Community support not available
          url: https://www.o-ran.org
          desc: |
            The O-RAN Alliance is an industry consortium that promotes the definition of an open standard for the vRAN, with two goals[4]. The first is the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques in the RAN, thanks to intelligent controllers deployed at the edge[78]. The second is the definition of an agile and open architecture, enabled by well-defined interfaces between the different elements of the RAN. Since all O-RAN components must expose the same APIs, it is easy to substitute components with others offering alternative implementations of the same functionalities. This allows O-RAN-based5G deployments to integrate elements from multiple vendors, thus opening the RAN market to third-party entities providing new functionalities and diversified services. Moreover, it makes it possible to adopt COTS hardware, in an effort to promote flexibility and reduce costs. Eventually, following the trend started with cloud-native infrastructures, the O-RAN Alliance also aims at promoting open source software as part of the consortium effort.

        - title: COMAC
          contributors: ONF
          license: Apache v2.0
          status: Active
          community: Community support available (mailing list)
          url: https://www.opennetworking.org/comac/
          desc: |
            COMAC is a platform that targets the integration of multiple access and CN technologies, including 4G and 5G cellular networks, broadband, fiber and cable networks, and Wi-Fi deployments. The framework provides a common data plane in the core, which aggregates user data to and from different access technologies, and the possibility of managing users’ subscriptions and identities with a single management platform. COMAC is based on the SEBA platform (a lightweight multi-access technology platform, which provides high-speed links from the edge of the network to the backbone of the infrastructure), and on multiple ONF Component Projects, such as OMEC, for the mobile core and edge, and CORD for the broadband subscriber management. Moreover, it will exploit O-RAN (with the SD-RAN implementation) for the control plane of the mobile cellular access.

        - title: SD-RAN
          contributors: ONF
          license: N/A
          status: Under development
          community: N/A
          url: https://www.opennetworking.org/sd-ran/
          desc: |
            SD-RAN is an open source RAN framework that follows the O-RAN development by building and trialing
            O-RAN compliant open source components. In particular, SD-RAN is developing a cloud-native near-real-time RIC
            (nRT-RIC) and a set of exemplar xApps to control the RAN. This effort has a tight interplay with the other
            ONF frameworks, including COMAC, ONOS, and Aether.

        - title: Aether
          contributors: ONF
          license: N/A
          status: Under development
          community: N/A
          url: https://www.opennetworking.org/aether/
          desc: |
            Aether streamlines the deployment of private enterprise cellular networks. It combines three main elements, namely,
            a control and orchestration interface to the RAN, an edge cloud platform (the Aether edge), with support
            for cloud computing APIs, and a central cloud (the Aether core), for orchestration and management.
            The Aether project will build and integrate several ONF efforts, including SD-RAN, ONOS, CORD and OMEC.
            At the time of this writing, the source code and the deployment pipeline are not publicly available.
            When the code will be released, besides providing an opportunity for private 5G networks,
            Aether could be effectively used to deploy and manage integrated RAN-edge testbeds for 5G research
            and innovation.

        - title: Magma
          contributors: Facebook Connectivity
          license: BSD License
          status: Active
          community: Community support available (mailing list/slack)
          url: https://connectivity.fb.com/magma/
          desc: |
            Magma is a framework developed by the Facebook Connectivity initiative for simplifying the
            deployment of cellular networks in rural markets. Notably, its goal is to avoid dependence on a
            specific access technology (i.e., cellular or Wi-Fi) or on a generation of 3GPP core networks.
            Moreover, it avoids vendor lock-in for telecom operators, while offering advanced automation and
            federation capabilities. The latter is particularly relevant in rural and under-developed scenarios,
            as it allows the pooling of resources from multiple network operators. Magma is composed by three components,
            i.e., an access gateway, to interface RAN and core networks; a cloud-based orchestrator, for control; and
            a federation gateway, which can be used to bind together multiple core networks.

        - title: Akraino Radio Edge Cloud (REC)
          contributors: Akraino
          license: Apache v2.0 License
          status: Active
          community: Community support not available
          url: https://www.openairinterface.org
          desc: |
            Akraino Radio Edge Cloud (REC) is a blueprint to support and meet the requirements of the O-RAN RIC. It is part of the Telco Appliance blueprint family. Its features include automated configuration and integration testing to facilitate the management and orchestration of the virtualized RAN. The blueprint is made up of modular building blocks and provides an abstraction of the underlying hardware infrastructure, allowing O-RAN RIC to run on top of it, and to seamlessly interface with the provided APIs.

        - title: NVIDIA Aerial
          contributors: NVIDIA
          license: Proprietary
          status: Active (available upon request)
          community: N/A
          url: https://developer.nvidia.com/aerial-sdk
          desc: |
            NVIDIA Aerial is a set of Software Development Kits (SDKs) that allows to build Graphics Processing
            Unit (GPU)-accelerated software-defined, cloud-native applications for the 5G vRAN. At the time of
            this writing, Aerial provides two main SDKs: cuBB and cuVNF.

    - name: Slicing Frameworks
      preamble: The following frameworks provide support for network slicing.
      anchor: slicing

      software:
        - title: 5G-EmPOWER
          contributors: FBK
          license: Apache v2.0
          status: Active
          community: Community support not available
          url: http://5g-empower.io
          desc: |
            5G-EmPOWER is an operating system for heterogeneous RAN architectures. It consists of an open
            source and reprogrammable software platform abstracting the physical RAN infrastructure and providing
            high-level APIs to control RAN functionalities.
            5G-EmPOWER currently supports several mobile Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as LTE via srsLTE,
            Wi-Fi, and LoRa. The 5G NR is not supported yet. Integration of diverse RATs is obtained through
            agents embedding specialized wrappers, one for each RAT. While the general architecture of the
            agent is RAT-independent, the wrapper is RAT-specific. For instance, new RATs (e.g., 5G NR) can
            be integrated by implementing new wrappers.

        - title: FlexRAN
          contributors: Mosaic5G Consortium
          license: MIT License
          status: Active
          community: Community support available (mailing list)
          url: http://mosaic-5g.io/flexran/
          desc: |
            FlexRAN leverages abstraction and softwarization technologies to develop a RAT-independent RAN
            management platform. FlexRAN embraces SDN principles to decouple control and data planes.
            The control plane is orchestrated by a real-time centralized controller, which controls a
            set of agents, one for each network element. FlexRAN implements a set of REST APIs in JSON
            format describing the northbound interface of FlexRAN. These APIs are used by the agents to
            interface with base stations, thus enabling control of the protocol stack and functionalities
            of the base stations (i.e., MAC, RRC, PDCP).


    - name: Edge Frameworks
      preamble: The following frameworks enable deployment of edge computing solutions.
      anchor: edge

      software:
        - title: CORD
          contributors: ONF and partners
          license: Apache v2.0 License
          status: Active
          community: Community support available (mailing list)
          url: https://www.opennetworking.org/cord/
          desc: |
            The CORD framework is based on multiple software solutions that, together with reference hardware design, realize a reference MEC architecture based on SDN, NFV and cloud-native solutions. CORD aims at (i) reducing deployment costs by using commodity hardware, and (ii) enabling innovative services, thanks to well-defined APIs for accessing edge computing facilities and multi-domain security. Moreover, CORD can be easily extended to address the heterogeneous requirements of different markets. In particular, two CORD architectures specific for mobile and residential services have been spawned off into two Exemplar Platforms (SDN-Enabled Broadband Access (SEBA) and COMAC). CORD is one of the ONF projects with the largest number of contributions by the open source community. It includes detailed installation, operation and development guides, and a set of repositories with its source code.

        - title: LL-MEC
          contributors: Mosaic5G Consortium
          license: Apache v2.0 License
          status: Active (available upon request)
          community: Community support available (mailing list)
          url: http://mosaic5g.io/ll-mec/
          desc: |
            LL-MEC is an open source MEC framework for cellular systems compliant with 3GPP and ETSI specifications.
            This framework merges SDN, edge computing and abstraction principles to provide an end-to-end platform
            where services requested by mobile users are executed on edge nodes of the network. LL-MEC consists of
            two main components: The Edge Packet Service controlling core network elements (e.g., routers and gateways)
            via OpenFlow APIs; and the Radio Network Information Service interfacing the data plane
            and physical RAN elements (e.g., eNBs) via the FlexRAN protocol. Aside from MEC capabilities,
            LL-MEC supports network slicing for differentiated services applications with diverse latency and
            throughput requirements.

        - title: LightEdge
          contributors: FBK
          license: Apache v2.0 License
          status: Active
          community: N/A
          url: https://lightedge.io
          desc: |
            LightEdge is a MEC platform for 4G and 5G applications compliant with ETSI MEC specifications.
            LightEdge allows network operators to provide MEC services to mobile users through cloud-based applications.
            The framework provides a Service Registry summarizing services and applications registered to
            the MEC platform. LightEdge also includes modules and libraries for real-time information exchange
            across applications and services, and to perform traffic steering to and from the cellular network.
            LightEdge supports multiple eNBs and is compatible with several open source projects such as
            srsLTE, Open5GS, and srsEPC.





virtualization:
  name: Open Virtualization and Management Frameworks
  preamble: This page lists the main open source frameworks for the management and orchestration of virtual (and, in case, physical) network functions.

  software:
    - title: ONAP
      contributors: Linux Foundation and partners
      license: Apache v2.0
      status: Active
      community: Community support available
      url: https://www.onap.org
      desc: |
        ONAP handles the design, creation, and life cycle management of a variety of network services. Network operators can use ONAP to orchestrate the physical and virtual infrastructure deployed in their networks, in a vendor-agnostic way. In addition to common NFV orchestrator functionalities (e.g.,automated policy-driven management of the virtualization infrastructure and of the network services), ONAP provides a design framework to model network applications and services as well as a framework for data analytics to monitor the services for healing and scaling. Additionally, ONAP provides a number of reference designs, i.e., blueprints. These can be used to deploy the ONAP architecture in specific markets or for specialized use cases (i.e., 5G networks or Voice over LTE deployments). They have been tested in combination with their typical hardware configurations.

    - title: Open Source NFV Management and Orchestration (OSM)
      contributors: Multiple operators and vendors
      license: Apache v2.0
      status: Active
      community: Community support available
      url: https://osm.etsi.org
      desc: |
        The OSM framework is an end-to-end network service orchestrator, tailored for deployment in mobile networks. OSM is in charge of provisioning network services, i.e., combinations of physical and virtual network functions that can be chained together with a specific topology, managing their creation and life-cycle. Notably, during the initialization of a network service, a basic configuration (0-day) is applied by default. Then, the MANO framework advertises the actual configuration for the function or service (1-day). Finally, updates (2-day configurations) can be deployed at a later stage. OSM is composed by an information model, to define the network functions and services, and an automation framework, to manage their life-cycle.

    - title: OpenBaton
      contributors: Fraunhofer FOKUS and TU Berlin
      license: Apache v2.0
      status: Active
      community: Community support available
      url: https://openbaton.github.io
      desc: |
        OpenBaton focuses on NFV management and is fully-compliant with the ETSI NFV MANO specification. It  provides a full-fledged ecosystem to instantiate and handle atomic VNFs, as well as to compose them to create more complex network services. The framework has been designed to operate over a virtualized infrastructure. For this reason, Open Baton features drivers to directly interface with most VIMs, with specific support for OpenStack. Besides VNF orchestration, Open Baton also provides support for multi-tenancy applications through network slicing and MEC.

sdr:
  name: SDR support for Open Source Radio Units
  preamble: This page lists the SDR platforms that can be used as radio units.

  software:
    - title: USRP B205mini-i
      contributors: NI
      channel: 1
      frequency_range: [70 MHz, 6 GHz]
      bandwidth: 56 MHz
      ran_software: srsLTE
      target: DAS node
      url: https://kb.ettus.com/B200/B210/B200mini/B205mini
      desc: |

    - title: USRP B210
      contributors: NI
      channel: 2
      frequency_range: [70 MHz, 6 GHz]
      bandwidth: 56 MHz
      ran_software: OAI, srsLTE
      target: DAS node, small cell
      url: https://kb.ettus.com/B200/B210/B200mini/B205mini
      desc: |

    - title: USRP N310
      contributors: NI
      channel: 4
      frequency_range: [10 MHz, 6 GHz]
      bandwidth: 100 MHz
      ran_software: OAI
      target: DAS node, small cell, cell tower, rooftop
      url: https://kb.ettus.com/N300/N310
      desc: |

    - title: USRP X310
      contributors: NI
      channel: Up to 2
      frequency_range: [DC, 6 GHz]
      bandwidth: 160 MHz
      ran_software: OAI, srsLTE
      target: DAS node, small cell, cell tower
      url: https://kb.ettus.com/X300/X310
      desc: |

    - title: bladeRF
      contributors: Nuand
      channel: 1
      frequency_range: [300 MHz, 3.8 GHz]
      bandwidth: 28 MHz
      ran_software: OAI, srsLTE
      target: DAS node, small cell
      url: https://www.nuand.com/
      desc: |

    - title: bladeRF 2.0 micro
      contributors: Nuand
      channel: 2
      frequency_range: [47 MHz, 6 GHz]
      bandwidth: 56 MHz
      ran_software: OAI, srsLTE
      target: DAS node, small cell
      url: https://www.nuand.com/
      desc: |

    - title: LimeSDR
      contributors: Lime Microsystems
      channel: 4 TX, 6 RX
      frequency_range: [100 kHz, 3.8 GHz]
      bandwidth: 61.44 MHz
      ran_software: OAI, srsLTE
      target: DAS node, small cell
      url: https://limemicro.com/products/boards/limesdr/
      desc: |

    - title: Iris
      contributors: Skylark Wireless
      channel: 2
      frequency_range: [50 MHz, 3.8 GHz]
      bandwidth: 56 MHz
      ran_software: OAI, srsLTE
      target: DAS node, small cell
      url: https://skylarkwireless.com/
      desc: |


testbeds:
  name: Testbeds to develop and experiment with open, programmable, 5G networks
  preamble: This page lists the testbeds platforms that can be used with the software in the other pages.

  software:
    - title: AERPAW
      consortium: PAWR
      technology: 5G and CR for UASs
      5g_software: Under development
      framework: Under development
      scale: City-scale outdoor
      url: https://aerpaw.org
      desc: |

    - title: Arena
      consortium: Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things, Northeastern Univeristy
      technology: 5G, CR, massive MIMO
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: N/A
      scale: Large-scale office
      url: https://ece.northeastern.edu/wineslab/arena.php
      desc: |

    - title: Colosseum
      consortium: Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things, Northeastern Univeristy
      technology: 5G, CR
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: O-RAN RIC
      scale: Large-scale network emulator
      url: https://www.colosseum.net
      desc: |

    - title: CORNET
      consortium:
      technology: 5G, CR
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: N/A
      scale: Large-scale indoor
      url: https://cornet.wireless.vt.edu/
      desc: |

    - title: COSMOS
      consortium: PAWR
      technology: 5G, mmWave, CR, optical switching
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: O-RAN components
      scale: Indoor, city-scale outdoor
      url: https://www.cosmos-lab.org/
      desc: |

    - title: Drexel Grid
      consortium:
      technology: 5G, CR
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: N/A
      scale: Large-scale indoor
      url: https://research.coe.drexel.edu/ece/dwsl/research/drexel-grid-sdr-testbed/
      desc: |

    - title: FIT
      consortium:
      technology: 5G, CR, IoT, NFV
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: OSM
      scale: Large-scale indoor
      url: https://fit-equipex.fr/
      desc: |

    - title: IRIS
      consortium: FED4FIRE+
      technology: 5G, CR, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, cloud-RAN, NFV, S-band
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: N/A
      scale: Indoor
      url: http://iristestbed.eu
      desc: |

    - title: NITOS
      consortium: FED4FIRE+
      technology: 5G, CR, Wi-Fi, WiMAX
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: N/A
      scale: Large-scale indoor and outdoor, office
      url: https://nitlab.inf.uth.gr/NITlab/nitos
      desc: |

    - title: POWDER-RENEW
      consortium: PAWR
      technology: 5G, CR, massive MIMO, Network Orchestration
      5g_software: RAN & Core
      framework: O-RAN RIC
      scale: Indoor, city-scale outdoor
      url: https://www.powderwireless.net
      desc: |

    - title: 5TONIC
      consortium:
      technology: 5G NFV, network orchestration
      5g_software: N/A
      framework: OSM
      scale: Data center
      url: https://www.5tonic.org
      desc: |


books:
  name: Books, papers, and tutorials
  preamble: This page provides a list of books, papers and other informational resources about Open RAN
  software:

    - title: 5G Radio Access Network Architecture: The Dark Side of 5G
      editor: Sasha Sirotkin
      publisher: Wiley - IEEE
      status: Pre-order
      url: https://www.darksideof5g.com
      desc: |
        Written by industry insiders with state of the art research at their fingertips, this book describes the Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture, starting with currently deployed 4G, followed by the description of 5G requirements and why re-thinking of the RAN architecture is needed to support these. Based on these considerations, it explains the 5G RAN (also referred as NG-RAN) network architecture, defined in 3GPP, O-RAN and Small Cell Forum.
        The aim is not merely to cover relevant standards and technologies as a purely academic exercise (although a significant part of the book is dedicated to these), but to augment these by explanations about why certain standards decisions have been made and how various NG-RAN architecture options can be deployed in real networks.
        OAI provides software-based implementations of LTE base stations (eNBs), UEs and EPC compliant with LTE Release 8.6 (with an additional subset of features from LTE Release 10). OAI source code is written in C to guarantee real-time performance, and is distributed under the OAI Public License, a modified version of the Apache License v2.0 that allows patent-owning individuals and companies to contribute to the OAI source code while keeping their patent rights. Both the eNB and UE implementations are compatible with Intel x86 architectures running the Ubuntu Linux operating system. (An experimental version for the CentOS 7 is under development.) Several kernel- and BIOS-level modifications are required for these implementations to achieve real-time performance, including installing a low-latency kernel, and disabling power management and CPU frequency scaling functionalities.