Open-Source Wireless Testbed

The NIST Open-Source Wireless Testbed supports research on 4G, 5G and next generation networks. The testbed focus is on the deployment of open-source Radio Access Networks (RAN) and Core network implementations, enabling researchers to evaluate their interoperability and compliance with standard technical specifications from 3GPP and the O-RAN Alliance. Virtualized and physical configurations are supported with an array of Software Defined Radios (SDR) and high-performance servers, providing flexibility to have disaggregated networking component deployments as specified by O-RAN. Our laboratory facility is equipped with a 64-port channel emulator and an RF tent-enclosure allowing RAN experiments over conducted and wireless medium, respectively.

Furthermore, the testbed provides a controlled sandbox environment for application development at different layers on the networking stack. Most recent examples include the testing and development of ORAN’s near real-time RAN Intelligent Controller (near-RT RIC) xApps for KPM monitoring, and low-latency intelligent radio resource control loops.

In addition, we facilitate the seamless deployment of the entire O-RAN testbed with our Automation Tool. It enables automatic installation and configuration of various O-RAN components, significantly reducing the potential for human error and greatly accelerating deployment times.

Related publications:

• (2024) Blueprint for Deploying 5G O-RAN Testbeds: A Guide to Using Diverse O-RAN Software Stacks. (National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD), NIST TN 2311. https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2311