Experimental comparison of 5G SDR platforms: srsRAN x OpenAirInterface

TL;DR

This paper compares two open-source 5G SDR platforms, srsRAN and OpenAirInterface, analyzing their features, configurations, and performance through laboratory experiments to inform their suitability for network deployment.

Contribution

It provides a detailed experimental comparison of srsRAN and OpenAirInterface, highlighting their capabilities, limitations, and potential for 5G network development.

Findings

srsRAN and OpenAirInterface have distinct interface and configuration options

Both platforms demonstrate different performance levels in laboratory tests

The study identifies specific limitations and strengths of each platform

Abstract

A Software-Defined Radio (SDR) platform is a communication system that implements as software functions that are typically implemented in dedicated hardware. One of its main advantages is the flexibility to test and deploy radio communication networks in a fast and cheap way. In the context of the Fifth Generation (5G) of wireless cellular networks, there are open source SDR platforms available online. Two of the most popular SDR platforms are srsRAN and OpenAirInterface. This paper presents these two platforms, the characteristics of the networks created by them, the possibilities of changes in their interfaces and configurations, and also their limits. Moreover, in this paper, we also evaluate and compare both platforms in an experimental setup deployed in a laboratory.