ProtO-RU: An O-RAN Split-7.2 Radio Unit using SDRs
Zhiyu Zhou, Xin Zhe Khooi, Satis Kumar Permal, Mun Choon Chan
TL;DR
ProtO-RU introduces an open-source, programmable 5G Radio Unit built with SDRs and commodity CPUs, enabling flexible, interoperable, and cost-effective O-RAN deployments and research.
Contribution
It is the first open-source, software-defined O-RAN Split-7.2 Radio Unit using SDRs, supporting integration, multiple duplex modes, and commercial device interoperability.
Findings
Stable operation under load with multiple UEs
Throughput comparable to commercial O-RUs
Supports both TDD and FDD modes
Abstract
We present ProtO-RU, the first open source, software-defined O-RAN Split-7.2 Radio Unit built using SDRs and commodity CPUs. Unlike proprietary hardware-based commercial O-RUs, ProtO-RU is built on the open-source srsRAN software stack, and it is fully programmable. We demonstrate that ProtO-RU integrates with the srsRAN and OpenAirInterface5G CU/DU stacks, supports both TDD and FDD duplexing modes, and interoperates with commercial 5G UEs. Our evaluation shows that ProtO-RU remains stable under sustained load with multiple UEs and delivers throughput comparable to Split-8 and commercial O-RUs. ProtO-RU opens up new opportunities for RU-level innovations and lowers the barrier of entry for end-to-end O-RAN research.
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Taxonomy
TopicsSoftware-Defined Networks and 5G · Advanced MIMO Systems Optimization · Millimeter-Wave Propagation and Modeling