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03) RAN Intelligent Controller interworking with O-eNB

Companies Participating
in this Scenario

STL

ASOCS

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Device Under Test

  • STL Near–Real-Time Radio Intelligent Controller (Near-RT-RIC) and MLB XApps

    ASOCS O-eNB

Test scenarios introduction

STL and ASOCS demonstrated “RAN Intelligent controller (RIC) interworking with O-eNB”.

Scope included demonstrating Mobile Load Balancing (MLB) xApps, E2 setup and subscriptions as per O-RAN standards.

The key elements of overall setup include “Near–RT RIC” and “MLB XApps” developed by STL and “O-eNB” developed by ASOCS. The RIC and O-eNB interact through E2 interface which is aligned with the published O-RAN E2 Application Protocol (E2AP) specification v1.0.

The Mobile Load Balancing solution is an xApp of the Near-RT-RIC, which is used to achieve optimal traffic distribution based on desired objectives.

Testing Results/Summary

RIC is continuously monitoring the utilization of RAN slice resources and as soon as a cell utilization reaches its threshold, it triggers to shift some of the users to a nearby less busy cells that can accommodate users of the slice with the pre-defined QoS. This entire process is automated and works in near real time to balance the load on cells.

Benefits for the Industry

  • The Mobile Load Balancing handled from edge of the network through RIC platform is helpful for steering the traffic to improve network efficiency.
  • The demonstrated solution helps in controlling and managing the radio resources in the most efficient way and hence enhances the end user experience.
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