Open5Gs by Northeastern University

Northeastern University has successfully integrated and validated Open5Gs, an advanced 5G open-source core network, in their experimental lab setup using an OpenShift cluster. This achievement represents a significant step forward in 5G network R&D.

Key Achievements

• Microservice Architecture: The core network is built on a microservice architecture, offering flexible deployment and scaling of individual network functions

• Optimized User Plane Function (UPF): Delivers high-performance packet processing capabilities

• User-Friendly SIM Management: Offers easier management of user SIMs through a graphical interface

• Network Slicing Support: Enables the creating of multiple virtual networks on a single physical infrastructure

• Deployment Flexibility: Open5Gs demonstrates remarkable versatility in deployment options:

  • Bare metal installation using standard Linux package managers

  • Containerized deployment using Docker

  • Virtualized approach utilizing Helm Charts on K8s and OpenShift

• Performance and Compatibility: When integrated with NVIDIA’s ARC-OTA platform, Open5Gs exhibited impressive performance:

  • High Stability: Maintained consistent operation during testing

  • Sustained Performance: Met the performance expectations set for the ARC-OTA release

  • MIMO Compatibility: Successfully tested with OAI and 2-layer MIMO configurations

• Implications for O-RAN Ecosystem: This successful integration underscores the potential of the disaggregated O-RAN ecosystem. It demonstrates that components from different vendors can seamlessly integrate, fostering innovation and flexibility in 5G network deployments.

The Open5Gs implementation at Northeastern University showcases the power of open-source solutions in advancing 5G technology. By leveraging microservices architecture and supporting various deployment methods, Open5Gs provides researchers and developers with a robust platform for exploring next-generation mobile network capabilities.