Monika Tarwala from Capgemini kicked off the panel with an overview of the importance of lab work in pushing Open RAN forward, turning to each panelist to share their unique experiences with Open RAN testing, emphasizing the importance of certification and of clear standards for testing towards certification.
How can lab and test measurement strategies enhance the scalability and success of Open RAN? This question was central to the discussion by Ajesh PK (i14y Lab), Sanna Brandt (Rohde & Schwarz), and Chris Murphy (Viavi Solutions) at the i14y Lab Summit 2024. Moderated by Monika Tarwala (Capgemini Engineering), the panel explored the opportunities and challenges within the realm of lab testing and measurement, emphasizing the collaborative efforts needed across the industry to overcome obstacles and ensure a successful rollout of Open RAN technologies.
Ajesh PK highlighted the ongoing challenges in maintaining certification readiness in the lab. He emphasized how the i14y Lab has been the first in Europe to hand out certification and badging for Open RAN components earlier this year. But the process is far from static: As Open RAN specifications continually evolve, the need to stay updated with the latest technical standards has become one of the most significant hurdles.
“With specifications coming in from various working groups, we are constantly adjusting our technical infrastructure and skillsets. We expect more vendors to come with different equipment, which means our testing infrastructure needs to scale both vertically and horizontally,” explained Ajesh.
Moreover, he stressed the necessity of automation in testing. Automation, he noted, is the key to streamlining testing, reducing manual errors, and ensuring that the lab remains ready to perform extensive functionality and performance testing as more vendors seek certification.
Sanna Brandt, with her decades of experience in test measurement, brought into focus the undefined nature of Open RAN standards, a stark contrast to more mature technologies such as 3GPP and GSM, which have clear guidelines and well-established testing requirements.
“One of the main challenges we face as a test tool vendor is the lack of clear definitions on what exactly needs to be tested,” said Sanna. “For instance, in device-side testing, operators define the necessary tests, but with Open RAN, we have to work out these requirements ourselves. The gaps in standardization make this an ongoing process of discovery.”
According to Sanna, setting up systems for testing Open RAN units often takes weeks, primarily due to the lack of clarity in the specifications. With each new vendor, her team must reconfigure and recalibrate, leading to longer testing cycles. She also stressed the need for more contributors to O-RAN Alliance specification efforts, suggesting that greater industry participation could help close the gaps.
The panel explored whether the Open RAN industry could learn from other well-established alliances, such as GSMA and 3GPP, which have mature testing and certification processes. Chris Murphy from Viavi Solutions remarked on how the “wild west” nature of Open RAN today bears some resemblance to the early days of GSM. As networks gradually adopt Open RAN, industry collaboration will be essential.
Chris explained how vendors and test tool providers need to work closely to ensure standards are maintained, particularly since Open RAN components must perform across multiple layers of functionality, from basic connectivity to full system integration. This complexity, he noted, is a significant challenge, but also an opportunity for the industry to develop more robust testing solutions.
“I agree with the notion that testing tool vendors have a critical role in this. We must look at frameworks such as GSMA or 3GPP as aspirational goals. There’s a lot of valuable expertise in how conformance testing is managed in those sectors,” he added.
One recurring theme in the discussion was the need for robust automation systems to minimize manual errors and expedite testing cycles. Ajesh emphasized how i14y Lab is working to expand its automation capabilities. He discussed how meticulous logging and monitoring of lab infrastructure help ensure that tests are conducted in optimal conditions.
He also raised a key point about security concerns. “As the certification processes include more 3GPP security-related test cases, we had to enhance our infrastructure to support this. This included acquiring licenses, upgrading software, and collaborating with equipment vendors to ensure we could perform all necessary tests,” said Ajesh.
The panel concluded with a reflection on how far the Open RAN community has come, but also how far it still has to go. Despite the obstacles of evolving standards, undefined test cases, and infrastructure scaling, the commitment to collaboration and innovation within the i14y Lab community remains steadfast.
As Open RAN continues to mature, the experiences shared during this panel may help guide the industry toward a more defined, efficient, and widely adopted testing framework.
The successes and challenges in Open RAN certification are multi-faceted, requiring continuous adaptation. As the i14y Lab and other organizations work to standardize processes and scale testing environments, the road to smoother certification is being paved—one test case at a time.
You can watch the entire discussion here.
For more information about the i14y Lab Summit 2024 and the other talks and panel discussions, visit our event page.