CPQD is announcing positive results obtained from the integration of components from different suppliers to the private 5G network installed in its laboratory, in Campinas (SP) – which is based on the concept of open and disaggregated networks. An important result is the successful integration of the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) open source Aether platform, for 5G edge connectivity, with the gNodeB (5G base station) from the North American manufacturer Baicells.
“We are using the Aether platform as the orchestrator of our 5G private network and we have achieved excellent results in the integration and automation of the network, with a gNodeB from a market supplier”, emphasizes Gustavo Correa Lima, manager of Wireless Communication Solutions at CPQD. “At the same time, we continue to work with 5G products and solutions from different vendors, as part of two important projects that we are developing with a focus on open and unbundled networks”, he adds.
One of these projects is the 5G BR Platform, conducted by the CPQD with resources from the Fund for the Technological Development of Telecommunications (FUNTTEL), of the Ministry of Communications. The objective is to develop technologies that make up an open architecture 5G network, which includes core components, access network (OpenRAN), service management and monitoring, virtualized infrastructure management, orchestration, among others.
Another relevant initiative is the OpenRAN Brazil Program, whose partners are the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), the National Education and Research Network (RNP) and the CPQD. Launched in August 2021, this program aims to enable the development of innovative applications for radio-unbundled and open access networks (RAN). In the first phase, the focus of development is the control and orchestration of both optical, IP and radio resources and the cloud resources necessary for the end-to-end functioning of a 5G network. The project also foresees the implementation of a 5G private network testbed, with points of presence in Campinas (in the CPQD) and in Rio de Janeiro (PoP-RNP-RJ), with orchestration playing an important role in the management of the integrated network. .
The Aether platform is an open source solution designed to simplify the deployment and operation of 5G private networks in the most diverse applications. Its development is supported by ONF, a non-profit, operator-led, community-led consortium that works in the collaborative construction of the next generations of mobile and broadband networks, using network unbundling, open source software and cloud technologies and virtualization.
“We are excited about the results achieved by CPQD with the successful integration of Baicells' Aether platform and gNodeB into its test lab,” says Timon Sloane, General Manager of ONF. “This achievement is an important step that confirms that ONF's platform for private 5G networks has the flexibility and is ready for the construction of next generation networks”, he adds.
The results of the integration of the Aether platform with an open source 5G RAN solution and RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller) platform from the Open Air Interface Software Alliance (OSA) will be presented by CPQD at an international OSA workshop scheduled for the 8th of November at Qualcomm's headquarters in San Diego, United States.
