Open RAN Solutions Awarded Telecom Infra Project Silver Badges

• First Silver Badge awarded for an essential RIC use case goes to AirHop Communications
• WNC, Greigns, and Tailyn rewarded for their Indoor Open RAN solution

The Telecom Infra Project (TIP) recently announced that its OpenRAN Project Group has awarded a couple of TIP Silver Badges. This means the badged solutions have gone through testing in a controlled environment. So while they’re not quite deployment ready, they would only require some in-house testing and integration by service providers. TIP’s Gold Badge is the commercial grade award and has yet to be awarded by the OpenRAN PG.

The first of the two most recent Silver Badges awarded went to AirHop Communications for its Physical Cell Identity (PCI) Optimization rApp. This is the first time TIP has awarded a Silver Badge for an essential RIC use case. It was tested in a multi-vendor setup at the i14y Lab. For the testing, Deutsche Telekom, who also provided the testing requirements, partnered with AirHop Communications, Juniper Networks and Keysight Technologies.

According to the technical paper released with the announcement, the PCI is a unique identifier assigned to each cell. It serves as a low bandwidth reference for the User Equipment (UE) to distinguish and connect to specific cells. 

The significance of PCI lies in its contribution to the seamless and efficient handover and synchronization processes. Multiple factors can cause PCI conflicts and degrade network performance. Airhop’s rApp detects and resolves these conflicts helping to ensure QoS for end users.

The only other RIC use case currently being tested by TIP is the RAN Slice SLA Assurance. Juniper Networks will be supplying an rApp + xApp pair. Deutsche Telekom, TIP and Keysight will work jointly to add further requirements to the use case. They will focus on test scenarios and test cases based on Deutsche Telekom’s and other potential operator’s input. 

Small Cell Solution awarded Silver Badge

The second Silver badge was awarded to WNC, Greigns, and Tailyn for their indoor Open RAN solution by the Indoor 5G NR Small Cell sub-group which is part of the TIP OpenRAN Project Group. This is a project looking to address the challenges of large scale, indoor 5G NR small cell deployments. The sub group defines requirements for an indoor 5G NR disaggregated small cell.

From the Telecom Infra Project announcement:

WNC, Greigns, and Tailyn have come together to develop an innovative indoor Open RAN solution that addresses the growing demand for high-performance, flexible, and cost-effective network infrastructure in indoor environments. 

Key Features of the Silver Badge Indoor Solution:

High Performance: The solution delivers excellent throughput and low latency. These are essential for ensuring a seamless user experience in indoor environments such as offices, shopping malls, and other high-density areas.

Interoperability: The solution was rigorously tested for interoperability with other Open RAN components, ensuring it can seamlessly integrate into existing networks and work alongside products from different vendors.

Scalability: Designed to support a wide range of deployment scenarios, the solution can scale from small office setups to large indoor venues, providing flexibility to operators.

Enhanced Security: Security is a top priority, and the solution includes robust security features to protect against potential threats and vulnerabilities, ensuring a safe and secure network environment.

Cost-Effectiveness: By leveraging open standards and promoting vendor diversity, the solution offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional proprietary systems, reducing the total cost of ownership for operators.