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The future of your mobile network is faster, more cost effective, more intelligent, and more secure—one that breaks free from the limitations of the existing systems. Open Radio Access Network (OpenRAN) is a key enabling technology supporting next generation communications use cases, and the NIST Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL) is key to delivering research and innovation to industry. The objective is to create an open system that offers consumers more choices by moving away from strictly proprietary hardware and systems. Flexibility like this – enabled through NIST’s research on network disaggregation and the redefinition of interoperability – fuels innovation, lowers costs, creates an intelligent system, and strengthens national security.
NIST CTL is shaping the future of OpenRAN by conducting essential research focusing on:
Machine Learning (ML) in Network Modeling and Simulation which enables the evaluation of ML algorithms for network automation and RAN optimization while supporting the development of datasets for training and validating ML models.
Advanced Security Architectures for Next Generation Wireless to enhance the security of emerging 5G/6G network designs with a focus on Open RAN standards.
Precise methods to measure and define interoperability between different vendors in OpenRAN systems that will also assist with optimization.
From conducting research on the interoperability of AI algorithms controlling OpenRAN network functions to ensuring the security of open-source implementations, CTL is setting the stage for a new era of telecommunications and writing the guidebook for future research and advancements in industry. As part of the commitment to improving the security and reliability of OpenRAN systems, CTL is also working on security standards to address potential vulnerabilities in this new, open architecture. CTL’s research accelerates the adoption of OpenRAN, assuring it lives up to its promise of creating a more secure, adaptable, and innovative mobile network ecosystem while interoperability research guarantees that all components cooperate so the system can operate at its full potential. This dynamic and comprehensive research program enables CTL to ensure the future of telecommunications is open to all while safeguarding our national security and personal data as well as being cost effective, reliable, and efficient.
Find more information about the Open RAN research at NIST CTL online: https://www.nist.gov/programs-projects/open-ran-research-nist