srsLTE: An Open-Source Platform for LTE Evolution and Experimentation

TL;DR

srsLTE is an open-source, modular platform for LTE experimentation that enables easy customization, supports LTE in unlicensed bands, and explores coexistence with WiFi, facilitating research and development in LTE networks.

Contribution

The paper introduces srsLTE, a highly modular open-source LTE platform, and demonstrates its capabilities in unlicensed bands and WiFi coexistence research.

Findings

srsLTE supports LTE in unlicensed bands.

WiFi coexistence mechanisms impact LTE performance.

Open-source platform accelerates LTE research.

Abstract

Testbeds are essential for experimental evaluation as well as for product development. In the context of LTE networks, existing testbed platforms are limited either in functionality and/or extensibility or are too complex to modify and customise. In this work we present srsLTE, an open-source platform for LTE experimentation designed for maximum modularity and code reuse and fully compliant with LTE Release 8. We show the potential of the srsLTE library by extending the baseline code to allow LTE transmissions in the unlicensed bands and coexistence with WiFi. We also expand previous results on this emerging research area by showing how different vendor-specific mechanisms in WiFi cards might affect coexistence.