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Der neue Mobilfunkstandard 5G bietet viele Verbesserungen im Vergleich zu seinem Vorgänger 4G. Während aus Sicht der Endverbraucher:innen die Erhöhung der Bandbreite am wichtigsten ist, ist der 5G Anwendungsfall Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) für das Internet der Dinge (IoT) am wichtigsten. Das IoT besteht aus vernetzten Geräten und Sensoren, die untereinander und mit zentralen Rechnern Daten austauschen. Häufig darf die Kommunikation zwischen den Sensoren und einem zentralen Rechner eine geringe Latenzzeit, z.B. 10 ms, nicht überschreiten. Während URLLC die Latenzzeit in 5G reduziert, kann die Verbindung zu einem weit entfernten zentralen Rechner erhebliche Latenzzeiten verursachen. Eine Lösung zur Behebung dieses Problems besteht darin, den zentralen Rechner physisch so nah wie möglich an das 5G-Endgerät zu bringen. Dies ist das Hauptkonzept von Edge Computing in 5G. Da ein mobiler Roboter als ein oder mehrere „Dinge“ im IoT eingestuft werden kann, besitzt er ähnliche Anforderungen. Wenn ein Roboter sich zum Beispiel in einer bekannten oder unbekannten Umgebung lokalisiert, stützt er sich auf Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Scans, um die Welt zu erfassen. Dieses Verfahren wird als Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) bezeichnet. Es ist von entscheidender Bedeutung, dass die Messungen des LIDAR-Sensors mit geringer Latenzzeit verarbeitet werden, da Verzögerungen die Genauigkeit der Lokalisierung beeinträchtigen können. SLAM ist jedoch auch sehr rechenintensiv, weshalb die Auslagerung dessen sehr vorteilhaft und manchmal auch notwendig ist, da Roboter oft an Hardwaregrenzen stoßen. Die zugrundeliegende Hypothese dieser Arbeit ist, dass es möglich ist, einen SLAM-Algorithmus an den Rand eines 5G-Netzwerks zu verlagern, ohne die Funktionalität und Qualität der Lokalisierung zu beeinträchtigen. Um dies zu erreichen, werden bestehende Ansätze von Edge Computing in 5G analysiert und verglichen. Darüber hinaus wird die quelloffene 5G Implementierung OpenAirInterface angepasst, um den bis dahin nicht berücksichtigen Anwendungsfall des Edge Computings zu unterstützen. Schließlich wird ein Experiment durchgeführt, das die Genauigkeit und Funktionalität des SLAM-Algorithmus in drei verschiedenen Einsatzgebieten vergleicht: Lokal, WiFi und 5G Edge. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen, dass eine Berechnung von SLAM am 5G-Edge möglich ist, wobei die Genauigkeit und Funktionalität der Lokalisierung und der erstellten Karte im Vergleich zur WiFi-Option etwas geringer sind. Obwohl vieles noch optimiert werden kann, legt diese Arbeit den Grundstein für 5G-fähige mobile Robotik, vollständig mit Open-Source-Software betrieben., The novel mobile telecommunications standard 5G offers many improvements compared to its predecessor 4G. While from an end consumer perspective, the increase in bandwidth and download speed are the most crucial, the 5G use case Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC) is the most important for the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT consists of connected devices and sensors that exchange data with each other and central nodes. Often, the communication between the sensors and a central node must not exceed a low latency, e.g., 10ms. While URLLC reduces the latency in 5G, the link to a distant central node may introduce substantial latencies. A solution to solve this issue is to physically move the central node as close as possible to the connected 5G device. This is the main concept behind edge computing in 5G. As a mobile robot can be classified as one or more "things" in the IoT, it has similar requirements. For example, when a robot is localizing itself in a known or unknown environment, it relies on Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) scans to map the world. This procedure is called Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). It is crucial that the measurements from the LIDAR sensor are processed with low latency, as delays can compromise the accuracy of the localization. However, Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is also computationally expensive. Therefore, it is highly desired and sometimes required to offload this computation to another computer, as robots are often hardware-constrained.The underlying hypothesis of this work is that it is possible to offload a SLAM algorithm to the edge of a 5G network without compromising functionality and quality of the localization. To achieve this, existing approaches to edge computing in 5G are analyzed and compared. Further, the open source 5G implementation OpenAirInterface is adapted to support the edge computing use case, which has not been considered in its initial design. Finally, an experiment is conducted which compares the accuracy and functionality of the SLAM algorithm in three different deployments: Local, WiFi and 5G edge. The results of this thesis show that offloading SLAM to the 5G edge is possible, whereas the accuracy and functionality of the localization and the produced map are slightly lower compared to the WiFi deployment. While much can still be optimized, this work lays the foundation for 5G-enabled mobile robotics, fully operated with open source software.

Recently, a growth of mobile networks, from a huge connection of only a few devices, to the need for constant maintenance with support even with different technological needs. This requires increasing the capacity of networks to respond to user needs, increasing connection speeds and decreasing latencies. In many cases, the demand for the capabilities offered by the new generation of mobile networks, 5G, remains unanswered with conventional structures, especially in urban areas. As a viable option for these needs, the use of small cells emerged. The use of this equipment is facilitated due to the flexibility offered by the architecture of 5G mobile networks that facilitate the division of the same into functional units with a virtual implementation, thus helping to spread the coverage area. The growing interest in 5G mobile networks and the immense possibilities they offer have given rise to projects focused on the development of 5G mobile networks that are made available for consultation and use by the interested community. These networks are mostly implemented in a virtual way, with the exception of the component responsible for the emission of the radio signal, where some options will be presented for this purpose during the course of the dissertation. As a target of study and evaluation of the state of development and usefulness throughout this dissertation, OpenAirInterface was chosen from among these open-source projects. The complete implementation of the same is presented and described, as well as the tests carried out in order to determine which are the functional bandwidths and which are the options for optimizing its operation. To conclude the work carried out, the results and balance of these tests are presented in the form of speed and latency tests in various bandwidths, verification of occupancy of the same, flexibility in modifying the emission frequency, as well as the result of a test of connecting elements of mobile networks developed by different open-source projects as a way of evaluating the flexibility of these networks. Recentemente temos assistido a um crescimento enorme de redes móveis, desde a conexão de apenas alguns dispositivos, até à necessidade de manter ligação constante com múltiplos equipamentos com necessidades tecnológicas diferentes. Isto requer o aumento da capacidade das redes para dar resposta às necessidades dos utilizadores, aumentar velocidades de conexão e diminuir latências. Em muitos casos, a procura pelas capacidades oferecidas pela nova geração de redes móveis, o 5G, continua sem resposta com as estruturas convencionais, especialmente em áreas urbanas. Como opção viável para essas necessidades, surgiu o uso de small cells. O uso desse equipamento é facilitado devido à flexibilidade oferecida pela arquitetura de redes móveis 5G que facilitam a divisão da mesma em unidades funcionais com uma implementação virtual ajudando assim à propagação da área de cobertura. O interesse crescente de redes móveis 5G e as imensas possibilidades que as mesmas oferecem, fizeram surgir projetos focados no desenvolvimento de redes móveis 5G que são colocados disponíveis para consulta e uso da comunidade interessada. Estes redes são maioritariamente implementadas de forma virtual à exceção do componente responsável pela emissão do sinal rádio, onde serão apresentadas algumas opções para o efeito no decorrer da dissertação. Como alvo de estudo e avaliação do estado de desenvolvimento e utilidade ao longo desta dissertação, foi escolhida a OpenAirInterface de entre esses projetos open-source. É apresentada e descrita a implementação completa da mesma, assim como os testes efetuados no sentido de apurar quais as larguras de banda funcionais e quais as opções de otimização de funcionamento da mesma. Para concluir o trabalho realizado, é apresentado o resultado e balanço desses testes na forma de testes de velocidade e latência em várias larguras de banda, verificação de ocupação da mesma, flexibilidade em modificar a frequência de emissão, assim como o resultado de um teste de conexão de elementos de redes móveis desenvolvidos por projetos open-source diferentes como forma de avaliar a flexibilidade destas redes. Mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica e Telecomunicações

Cellular networks present high latencies,especially in the Radio Acccess Network (RAN). The new generation of cellular technology 5G, in addition to increasing transmission throughput, must offer low latency in mobile connectivity. The objective of this thesis is to propose mechanisms for reducing latency in the RAN. In this perspective, we set up a software-defined RAN experimentation platform based on the OpenAirInterface project and designed a tool for fine-grained measurement of RAN internal latencies called LatSeq. We show that the round-time trip latency typically reaches 30 ms in LTE divided between processing, queueing, retransmission and medium acquisition delays. We also measure a significant jitter on the uplink that affects the RAN latency but also the performance of TCP traffics,which are very common on the Internet. LatSeq highlights the role of the radio resource allocation mechanism in the jitter and latency of the uplink channel. We show how the partial knowledge of the transmission buffer length by the scheduling algorithm from Buffer Status Reports (BSRs) and Scheduling Requests (SRs) induces bursts of transmissions, significant jitter and under-utilization of the radio channel capacity. We then propose a new mechanism for estimating the terminal transmission buffer length which is compatible with 3GPP LTE and 5G standards. We demonstrate that this method makes it possible to reduce the latency of the uplink channel and even more the jitter experienced by packet flows; Les réseaux cellulaires présentent des latences importantes, en particulier au niveau du réseaux d’accès radio (RAN). La nouvelle génération de technologie cellulaire 5G, en plus d’augmenter les débits de transmission, doit offrir de faibles latences en connectivité mobile. L’objectif de cette thèse est de proposer des mécanismes de réduction de la latence dans le RAN. Dans cette perspective, nous avons mis en place une plateforme d’expérimentation software-defined RAN basée sur le projet OpenAirInterface et conçu un outil de mesure fine des latences internes au RAN appelé LatSeq. Nous montrons que la latence aller-retour atteint typiquement 30 ms en LTE répartie entre délais de traitement, de mis en file d’attente, de retransmissions et d’acquisition du medium. Nous avons aussi mesuré une gigue importante sur la voie remontante qui influe sur la latence du RAN mais aussi sur les performances des trafics TCP, très répandus sur Internet. LatSeq met en évidence le rôle du mécanisme d’allocation des ressources radio dans la gigue et la latence de la voie remontante. Nous montrons comment la connaissance imparfaite de la taille du buffer de transmission par l’algorithme d’ordonnancement à partir des rapports Buffer Status Reports (BSR) et des demandes d’accès (SR) induit une transmission par rafale, une gigue importante et une sous-utilisation de la capacité du canal radio. Nous proposons alors un nouveau mécanisme d’estimation de la taille du buffer de transmission des terminaux compatible avec les standards 3GPP LTE et 5G, et démontrons que cette méthode permet de réduire la latence de la voie remontante et la gigue subie par les flux de paquets.

[ES] La quinta generación de comunicaciones móviles cambia el paradigma de la arquitectura de red hacia el uso de funciones virtualizadas, no sólo a nivel de transporte (núcleo de red o core network), sino también a nivel de la red de acceso radio RAN (Radio Access Network), permitiendo el empleo de distintos softwares sobre un hardware genérico para facilitar las actualizaciones y la introducción de nuevas funcionalidades de manera ágil. Así mismo, existen nuevas corrientes que proponen la transcripción del concepto de código abierto a las interfaces y arquitecturas RAN, permitiendo el desarrollo de componentes a terceros y facilitando la interoperabilidad para ganar flexibilidad y eficiencia en los despliegues radio 5G. La apertura de los protocolos e interfaces de la RAN ha resultado en el concepto de una nueva arquitectura de red denominada Open RAN (O-RAN), que además busca introducir técnicas de IA/ML para el análisis de datos y la toma de decisiones a través de nuevos componentes como el RIC (Radio Intelligent Controller), ejecutándose on-premise, en el edge o en el cloud según las necesidades de latencia y requisitos del caso de uso concreto. En este trabajo se busca desplegar la RAN de una red 5G basada en el estándar O-RAN, empleando la implementación software de código abierto de OpenAirInterface (OAI) y dispositivos de radio definida por software USRPs, haciendo hincapié en el uso y analizando las posibilidades del novedoso controlador radio RIC introducido en la arquitectura O-RAN., [EN] The fifth generation of mobile communications changes the paradigm of network architecture towards the use of virtualized functions, not only at the transport level (core network), but also at the radio access network (RAN) level, allowing the use of multiple software over a generic hardware, to facilitate upgrades and the introduction of new functionalities in an agile manner. There are also new trends that propose the transcription of the open source concept to RAN interfaces and architectures, allowing the development of third-party components and facilitating interoperability to gain flexibility and efficiency in 5G radio deployments. The opening of RAN protocols and interfaces has resulted in the concept of a new network architecture called Open RAN (O-RAN), which also seeks to introduce AI/ML techniques for data analysis and decision making through new components such as the RIC (Radio Intelligent Controller), running on-premise, on the edge or in the cloud depending on latency needs and use case requirements. In this work we seek to deploy the RAN of a 5G network based on the O-RAN standard, employing the OpenAirInterface (OAI) open source software implementation and USRPs software defined radio devices, emphasizing the use and analyzing the possibilities of the novel RIC radio controller introduced in the O-RAN architecture.

With the continuous evolution of the mobile communications networks, it is important to have virtualized open-source ecosystems such as OpenAirInterface, that can provide low cost networks to the different operators. In this project we aim to develop a centralised radio controller for the management of 4G small cells based on OpenAirInterface technology. This radio controller interacts with the specific solution equivalent to OAI's RT RIC called FlexRAN. The objective of the radio controller is to achieve an automated deployment of 4G services over OAI technology cells, where each service is assigned several dedicated radio resources (RAN slice). Specifically, the aim is to manage the radio resources assigned to the different services dynamically and according to the requirements of the service (QoS, latency, etc.).

International audience; 5G has been designed for providing the appropriate services for a large range of applications requiring high throughput, low latency, a support for the IoT, or for Industry 4.0 business, etc. One of its strong statements is the sofwarization of most of its functions for providing more flexibility, and a support that can easily evolve for providing new services. In that context, OpenSource implementations of 5G functions arise. One of this implementation is the 5G OpenAirInterface (OAI). This paper then describes how a 5G experimental platform taking advantage of the 5G OAI software suite was designed and deployed at LAAS-CNRS. The aim of the platform is to be as generic as possible for being able to experiment and evaluate all 5G new mechanisms and protocols issued from researchers. This paper then specifically addresses how the compatibility issues between 5G OAI and the equipments (USRP, servers, operating systems, etc.) were fixed. The paper also proposes a performance evaluation of the 5G OAI platform and analyzes its limits.

Includes Supplementary Material Commercial cellular service providers are at the forefront of the paradigm shift from 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) to 5G New Radio (NR). The increase in throughput, provisioning of ultra-low latency, and greater reliability of 5G enable potential uses that no other wireless communication could support. The Department of Defense (DOD) is interested in 5G NR technologies, but the implementation of the architecture can be lengthy and costly. This capstone configured a 4G LTE network and a 5G non-standalone network using OpenAirInterface and software defined radios (SDRs). Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) cards were configured and introduced to user equipment and attached to the 4G LTE network. A gNodeB (gNB) was added to the 4G LTE network to establish the 5G non-standalone (NSA) network architecture (3GPP Option 3). The testbed developed in this research was able to connect the core to a commercial internet service provider and browse the internet using third-party applications. Our analysis educates future researchers on the challenges and lessons learned when implementing the OpenAirInterface 4G LTE and 5G NSA networks. This work also provides a better understanding of 4G LTE and 5G NSA OpenAirInterface software usability, flexibility, and scalability for potential use cases for the DOD. Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) places cloud resources nearby the user, to provide support for latency-sensitive applications. Offloading workload from resource-constrained mobile devices (such as smartphones) into the cloud ecosystem is becoming increasingly popular. In this demonstration, we show how to deploy a mobile network with OPENAIRINTERFACE and OPEN SOURCE MANO. We also demonstrate how to adapt the Reliable Server Pooling (RSerPool) framework to efficiently manage MEC as well as multi-cloud resources.

Amongst the appealing features of 5G, ultra low latency is perhaps the most attractive one, as it unleashes a wealth of disruptive services. However, meeting such a challenging goal requires a thorough understanding of latency in the 5G prevailing bottleneck, that is, the Base Station.For this purpose, we propose LatSeq, an open-source tool for fine-grained analysis of latency inside a software Base Station (BS), and implement it on the OpenAirInterface platform. LatSeq tackles each packet’s sequence of successive delays across the layers of a Base Station, which reveals enlightening causal links.This paper discusses LatSeq’s design choices and evaluates its fitness for purpose in a first baseline usage scenario. We demonstrate the low impact of LatSeq on the observed system, and the relevance of statistics based on individual packet tracing inside the base station.

Advances in virtualisation technology have reached the mobile networking domain. Network Functions Virtualisation Management and Orchestration (NFV MANO) as proposed by ETSI and realised via Opensource MANO (OSM) allows sharing or partitioning a fairly generic pool of hardware into virtual compute, network and storage resources among differentiated services. A direct consequence of this is a dramatic reduction in CAPEX/OPEX, but also the possibility of instantaneously deploy network services across one or several Mobile Network Operators’ (MNO) infrastructure. This work demonstrates how the upcoming fifth generation (5G) of mobile communications envisions NFV MANO for instantiating network services, including Core Network components, and wireless SDN controllers for enforcing end-to-end QoS policies via network slices that span from the radio access segment to the backend packet network., Grant numbers : 5G-Solutions (856691).

In the next few years, a considerable innovation concerning the design of the future 5G mobile networks will be a concrete step towards enabling effective high throughput and low latency services. Software Defined Networking (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Self Organizing Network (SON) are considered the enabling technologies to achieve these goals. In this paper, assuming a Control-Data Separation Architecture (CDSA), we propose a flexible SDN/NFV-based SON testbed, for future 5G mobile networks. The main contribution of our work is to cover the need for a CDSA based testbed, enabling the investigation of the NG-SON capabilities for practical implementations. We implement two different testbed setups, a real one and a virtualized one, both based on the FlexRAN and OpenAir-Interface software tools. First, we implement a specific case study, i.e., the RAN entities activation/deactivation procedures. Next, we carry out time measurements, concerning the aforementioned procedures, in order to prove proper testbed functioning. Finally, we validate the C-SON and D-SON capabilities of our testbed, considering the features of the results.

In today's mobile communication networks the demand for flexibility in management and efficient operation of the network in one hand, while maintaining the capital (CAPEX) and operating (OPEX) expenditures low on the other hand, given the opportunities for proposing new technologies which are able to cope with mentioned challenges. Nowadays virtualization as a key technology allows mobile communication networks to have an undeniable progress since it decouples software applications from the underlying hardware. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Netw In today's mobile communication networks tendency for flexibility in management and efficient network operation in one hand, while maintaining the capital and operating expenditures low on the other hand, given the opportunities for proposing new technologies which are able to cope with the continuous increase of traffic demand which probably could congest and overflow current networks. Nowadays virtualization as a key technology enables network operators to have an undeniable progress since it decouples software applications from the underlying hardware. SDN and NFV as the two main parts in network virtualization are promising approaches that when combined can provide the necessary flexibility in the network and resource management. These capabilities make it possible to share the available resources dynamically to slice the Radio Access Network (RAN) according to the specific requests. To contribute these concepts in this project, a real-time SDN-NFV platform, which splits into OpenAirInterface, srsLTE, and 5G-EmPOWER platforms, has been studied, configured and integrated. Moreover, RAN Slicing has been applied to different Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) or tenants and also several connectivity tests have been performed throughout the project to confirm the network functionality. En las redes de comunicación móvil actuales, la tendencia a la flexibilidad en la gestión y la operación eficiente de la red por un lado, mientras se mantienen los gastos de capital y operativos bajos por otro lado, dadas las oportunidades para proponer nuevas tecnologías que son capaces de hacer frente al continuo aumento de la demanda de tráfico que probablemente podría congestionar y desbordar las redes actuales. Hoy en día, la virtualización como tecnología clave permite a los operadores de red tener un progreso innegable, ya que desacopla las aplicaciones de software del hardware subyacente. SDN y NFV como las dos partes principales en la virtualización de la red son enfoques prometedores que, cuando se combinan, pueden proporcionar la flexibilidad necesaria en la gestión de redes y recursos. Estas capacidades permiten compartir dinámicamente los recursos disponibles para dividir la red de acceso de radio (RAN) según las solicitudes específicas. Para contribuir con estos conceptos en este proyecto, se ha estudiado, configurado e integrado una plataforma SDN-NFV en tiempo real, que se divide en las plataformas OpenAirInterface, srsLTE y 5G-EmPOWER. Además, RAN Slicing se ha aplicado a diferentes Operadores de redes virtuales móviles (MVNO) o arrendatarios y también se han realizado varias pruebas de conectividad a lo largo del proyecto para confirmar la funcionalidad de la red. En les xarxes de comunicacions mòbils actuals, la manca de flexibilitat en la gestió i el funcionament eficient de la xarxa d'una banda, mantenint el capital i les despeses operatives baixes en canvi, tenint en compte les oportunitats de proposar noves tecnologies que puguin afrontar l'augment continu de la demanda de trànsit que probablement podria congestionar i desbordar les xarxes actuals. Actualment, la virtualització com a tecnologia clau permet als operadors de xarxa tenir un progrés innegable ja que desaconsella les aplicacions de programari del maquinari subjacent. SDN i NFV com a dues parts principals en la virtualització de la xarxa són plantejaments prometedors que, combinats, poden proporcionar la flexibilitat necessària en la xarxa i la gestió de recursos. Aquestes capacitats permeten compartir els recursos disponibles dinàmicament per reduir la Xarxa d'Accés Ràdio (RAN) d'acord amb les sol·licituds específiques. Per contribuir amb aquests conceptes en aquest projecte, s'ha estudiat, configurat i integrat una plataforma SDN-NFV en temps real, que es divideix en les plataformes OpenAirInterface, srsLTE i 5G-EmPOWER. A més, RAN Slicing s'ha aplicat per a diferents operadors de xarxa virtual mòbil (MVNO) o inquilins i també s'han realitzat diverses proves de connectivitat al llarg del projecte per confirmar la funcionalitat de la xarxa.

SDR, Software Defined Radio. In general, SDR is based on a common hardware platform to use software to implement various communication modules. There are two keywords in the concept, "universal hardware platform" and "software." The "universal hardware platform" means that we can implement a variety of communication functions based on this hardware platform, not that a hardware platform can only implement one kind of communication function. "Software" to implement the communication module is relative to the traditional radio technology. Since the SDR is more and more popular in the scientific research field, lots of different Open Source SDR Software can be used. In this thesis, I used two different open source LTE-EPC software to run the same setup in order to implement and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these softwares.

13th International Workshop on Communication Technologies for Vehicles, Nets4Cars Nets4Trains Nets4Aircraft Nets4Spacecrafts, Madrid, ESPAGNE, 17-/05/2018 - 18/05/2018; This paper focuses on performance evaluation of the Train to Ground traffic exchanges used to ensure safety and monitoring train functionalities carried by the Train Control Management System (TCMS). In the framework of the European project Safe4Rail from the Shift2Rail program, we try to use LTE (Long Term Evolution) network as an alternative communication technology, instead of GSM-R (Global System for Mobile communications-Railway) because of some capacity and capability limits. First step, a pure simulation is used to evaluate the network load for a high-speed scenario, when the LTE network is shared between the train and different passengers. The simulation is based on the discrete-events network simulator Riverbed Modeler. Next, second step focusses on a co-simulation testbed, to evaluate performances with real traffic based on Hardware-In-The-Loop and OpenAirInterface modules. Preliminary simulation and co-simulation results show that LTE provides good performance for the TCMS traffic exchange in terms of packet delay and data integrity.

The need for flexible management and efficient operation of the network, while maintaining the capital (CAPEX) and operating (OPEX) expenditures low, has opened the way for new designs and technologies to be introduced that will be able to cope with the afore mentioned challenges. On that respect, virtualization has been established as a key technology since it allows decoupling software applications from the underlying hardware [1]. SDN and NFV are two promising approaches that when combined can provide the necessary flexibility in the network and resources management [2]. The continuous increase of traffic demand, in the future, could congest and overflow current networks. New virtualization technologies that are capable of developing more heterogeneous, flexible and manageable networks, in which operating costs (OPEX) and investment (CAPEX) are reduced are being researched to fix this issue. Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) are two virtualization technologies that provide network flexibility and better resource management, allowing resources to be dynamically shared and slicing the Radio Access Network (RAN). In this project, the study and implementation of RAN Slicing on a testbed based on the OpenAirInterface and 5G-EmPOWER platforms is carried out. For its implementation, the 2 platforms have been studied, configured and integrated and the RAN Slicing has been applied, with the creation of tenants. The study of RAN Slicing for Multi Operator Core Network (MOCN) has also been developed, with the creation of a new operator to analyse the connectivity of multiple operators to the same eNB. Throughout the project, several studies have been developed to verify the functioning of the network and the connectivity of one or multiple users to it. El aumento continuo de la demanda de tráfico, en el futuro, podría congestionar y desbordar las redes actuales. Nuevas tecnologías de virtualización que son capaces de desarrollar redes más heterogéneas, flexibles y manejables, en las que se reducen los costos operativos (OPEX) y la inversión (CAPEX), se están investigando para solucionar este problema. Software Defined Networking (SDN) y Network Function Virtualization (NFV) son dos tecnologías de virtualización que proporcionan flexibilidad a la red y una mejor administración de los recursos, lo que permite que éstos se compartan dinámicamente y el slicing de la Red de Acceso Radio (RAN). En este proyecto, se lleva a cabo el estudio y la implementación de RAN Slicing en un testbed basado en las plataformas OpenAirInterface y 5G-EmPOWER. Para su implementación, las 2 plataformas se han estudiado, configurado e integrado y se ha aplicado el RAN Slicing, con la creación de tenants. También se ha desarrollado el estudio de RAN Slicing para Multi Operator Core Network (MOCN), con la creación de un nuevo operador para analizar la conectividad de múltiples operadores a una misma eNB. A lo largo del proyecto, se han llevado a cabo varios estudios para verificar el funcionamiento de la red y la conectividad de uno o múltiples usuarios. L'augment continu de la demanda de tràfic, en el futur, podria congestionar i desbordar les xarxes actuals. Noves tecnologies de virtualització que són capaces de desenvolupar xarxes més heterogènies, flexibles i manejables, en les quals es redueixen els costos operatius (OPEX) i la inversió (CAPEX), s'estan investigant per solucionar aquest problema. Software Defined Networking (SDN) i Network Function Virtualization (NFV) són dues tecnologies de virtualització que proporcionen flexibilitat a la xarxa i una millor administració dels recursos, la qual cosa permet que aquests es comparteixin dinàmicament i el slicing de la Xarxa d'Accés Radio (RAN). En aquest projecte, es duu a terme l'estudi i la implementació de RAN Slicing en un testbed basat en les plataformes OpenAirInterface i 5G-EmPOWER. Per a la seva implementació, les 2 plataformes s'han estudiat, configurat i integrat i s'ha aplicat el RAN Slicing, amb la creació de tenants. També s'ha desenvolupat l'estudi de RAN Slicing per Multi Operator Core Network (MOCN), amb la creació d'un nou operador per analitzar la connectivitat de múltiples operadors a la mateixa eNB. Al llarg del projecte, s'han dut a terme diversos estudis per verificar el funcionament de la xarxa i la connectivitat d'un o múltiples usuaris.

The GRCM research group (http: www.grcm.tsc.upc.edu) is implementing a 4G / 5G mobile communications testbed based in Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networks (SDN) techniques. In this context, a LTE base station, using Software Defined Radio (SDR) techniques based on URSP devices and the OpenAirInterface software, has been set up as part of the testbed. The mobile communications is a sector in constant technological evolution to keep pace with a continuous increasing users demand, especially for data and video services. Currently, the LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology, the fourth generation of mobile communications or commonly known as 4G, constitutes the state-of-the-art technology deployed by commercial operators to offer mobile broadband services with speeds in the tens of Mb/s. The Mobile Communications Research Group at the Signal Theory and Communications Department of the UPC counts with an experimental testbed of a private, small-scale LTE network deployed as a SDR (Software Defined Radio) platform empowered by the OpenAirInterface (OAI) software. In this context, the purpose of this project is to get familiar with the operation and main features of the testbed and study in detail the functionality and performance of the Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms supported by OAI for the management of the data connectivity services. Accordingly, two separated studies have been conducted, the first to evaluate the operation of the OAI and its supporting management and monitoring tools and the other to study different QoS functionalities, namely, support for activation of default and dedicated bearers with different QoS attributes, admission control and scheduling mechanisms. Las comunicaciones móviles son un sector en continua evolución tecnológica para poder mantener el ritmo de la creciente demanda de los usuarios, especialmente para los servicios de datos y video. Actualmente, la tecnología LTE (Long Term Evolution), la cuarta generación de comunicaciones móviles o comúnmente conocida como 4G, la tecnología de última generación desplegada por los operadores comerciales para ofrecer servicios de banda ancha móvil con velocidades de decenas de Mb/s. El grupo de Investigación en Comunicaciones Móviles del Departamento de Teoría del Señal y Comunicaciones de la UPC dispone de un testbed experimental de una red LTE privada a pequeña escala desplegada como plataforma SDR (Software Defined Radio) habilitada con el software OpenAirInterface (OAI). En este contexto, la finalidad del proyecto es familiarizarse con el funcionamiento y principales características del testbed y estudiar con detalle las funcionalidades y rendimiento de los mecanismos de Calidad de Servicio (QoS) respaldados por OAI para la gestión de servicios de conectividad de datos. En consecuencia, se han realizado dos estudios de manera separada, el primero para evaluar el funcionamiento de OAI y sus herramientas de gestión y monitorización, y el otro para estudiar diferentes funcionalidades de QoS, es decir, soporte para la activación de servicios portadores EPS (Evolved Packet System) por defecto y dedicados con diferentes parámetros de Qos, el control de admisión i mecanismos de scheduling. Les comunicacions mòbils són un sector en continua evolució tecnològica per poder mantenir el ritme de la creixent demanda dels usuaris, especialment pels serveis de dades i vídeo. Actualment, la tecnologia LTE (Long Term Evolution), la quarta generació de comunicacions mòbils o comunament coneguda com 4G, la tecnologia d?última generació desplegada pels operadors comercials per oferir serveis de banda ampla mòbil amb velocitats de desenes de Mb/s. El Grup de Recerca en Comunicacions Mòbils (GRCM) del Departament de Teoria del Senyal i Comunicacions de la UPC disposa d?un testbed experimental d?una xarxa privada LTE a petita escala desplegada com a plataforma SDR (Software Defined Radio) habilitada amb el software OpenAirInterface (OAI). En aquest context, la finalitat del projecte és familiaritzar-se amb el funcionament i les principals característiques del testbed i estudiar amb detall les funcionalitats i el rendiment dels mecanismes de Qualitat de Servei (QoS) suportats per OAI per la gestió dels serveis connectivitat de dades. Conseqüentment, s?han realitzat dos estudis de manera separada, el primer per avaluar el funcionament de OAI i les seves eines de gestió i monitorització, i l?altre per estudiar diferents funcionalitats de QoS, és a dir, suport per l?activació de serveis portadors EPS (Evolved Packet System) per defecte i dedicats amb diferents paràmetres de Qos, el control d?admissió i mecanismes de scheduling.

As the release of 5G gets closer, different technologies appear aiming to make a difference in this next generation of mobile communications. A proposed way to achieve more capacity for end-users in 5G is aggregating Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), and allowing users to connect to both at the same time. There are different technologies that aggregate LTE and WLAN, but in this project we focus only on one: LTE-WLAN Aggregation (LWA). In this thesis we study how offloading WLAN beacons to LTE can improve its performance due to the higher efficiency that LTE brings. This offloading allows to remove overhead from WiFi and UEs using LWA can achieve higher capacities. This investigation has been performed using OpenAirInterface, a software tool used to simulate and emulate LTE networks.

International audience; We study the transmit time reversal beamforming in a 8x1 MISO communication system at 2.68GHz. We consider the downlink time reversal transmission where a BS communicates with one user. A prototype composed by 8 antennas and designed by Orange labs acts as the BS while the user has a single antenna. The reciprocity property is destroyed by the non-symmetric characteristics of the RF electronic circuitry. We use relative calibration which is based exclusively on signal processing techniques to solve this issue. Utilizing a controlled test setup based on OpenAirInterface, the ExpressMIMO2 SDR boards, as well as a servo controlled rail, we show the feasibility of a relative calibration method through beamforming SNR measurements. We also evaluate the performance of an antenna selection scheme at the transmit side as a low-cost low-complexity alternative to capture many of the advantages of multi-antenna systems. The measurements show that the relative calibration method is performing almost optimal and that the complexity can be significantly reduced by using antenna selection.

This paper describes the software architecture and the implementation of a fully operational testbed that demonstrates the benefits of flexible, dynamic resource allocation with virtualized LTE-A nodes. The testbed embodies and specializes the general software architecture devised within the Flex5Gware EU project, and focuses on two intelligent programs: the first one is a Global Scheduler, that coordinates radio resource allocation among interfering nodes; the second one is a Global Power Manager, which switches on/off nodes based on their expected and measured load over a period of minutes. The software framework is written using open-source software, and includes fast, scalable optimization algorithms at both components. Moreover, it supports virtualized BaseBand Units, implemented using OpenAir-Interface, that can run on physical and virtual machines. We present the results obtained via on-field measurements, that demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of our approach.