The i14y Lab consortium invites all vendors of Open RAN-related solutions and platforms to the upcoming O-RAN Global Plugfest Fall 2023. The testing in Berlin will be closely aligned with other European PlugFest hosts, and with Telecom Infra Project (TIP) activities.
During the event, participating vendors will get the opportunity to validate the technical readiness of their individual solutions, explore multi-vendor interoperability in new or refined test scenarios, and prepare test results for public reporting. The tests will be based on O-RAN Alliance specifications and TIP test plans customized for this session. We will take technical priorities provided by the OpenRAN MoU Group of European service providers into account as well.
All tests will be executed in a vendor-neutral environment with multiple test tools and partially automated test execution. The specific list of applicable tests and low-level steps will be selected together with interested participants in preparation for the PlugFest.
Get ready for the O-RAN Alliance Global PlugFest for Fall of 2023! We're back in Berlin for our fifth PlugFest, hosted by the i14y Lab. With 16 vendors on board, we've been able to work together and achieve outstanding results in 12 tests. Don't miss out on the latest innovations - subscribe now and stay tuned for more exciting updates!
July 18 i14y Lab Information Call | 16:00 CEST (GMT+0200)
August 18 i14y Lab Contract Deadline
August 25 O-RAN Alliance Call for Participation
September 11 – October 6 Prestaging / pretesting in i14y Lab
September 22 Shipping Deadline
October 9 – October 27 Main PlugFest – testing in i14y Lab
November 13 – November 24 Reporting
Invited participants are expected to provide:
Our high-level test scope is:
New or improved test cases that are developed as part of this event will be upstreamed to the respective SDO.
Participants are asked to
Formal Participation Requirements
Please note:
As we find ourselves within the final stretch of the ORAN Alliance Global PlugFest hosted here at the i14y Lab, we're excited to share our progress and the notable developments that have unfolded thus far.
This is currently one of the largest PlugFests this season, marking it a significant milestone in our open RAN journey as our 20+ participants are partaking in the array of new testing scenarios we’ve introduced this time around, with a particular emphasis on RIC (Radio Intelligent Controller) testing.
The main objectives and goals for this year's PlugFest were:
We've cultivated a collaborative environment with our participants, enabling remote access to essential components for seamless communication for those looking to tap in remotely.
The PlugFest has also provided us with valuable insights, reinforcing the importance of pre-staging. During our last PlugFest, it was apparent that there was a bit of a communication challenge between ourselves and the participants to make sure everything was set and ready for when the testing began back in the beginning of October. So, this time around, we made sure to be on top of our organization of the PlugFest so that the coordination among everyone involved could go smoothly. Additionally, we've recognized the need to enhance automation and reduce manual testing to streamline processes.
O-RAN field application engineer with Rohde & Schwarz, Veeramani Rajasekaran, shared with us some of his insights of working here at the lab:
“i14y is creating a workspace. They connect multiple parties here. As an O-DU player or O-RU player, I need one moderator. Using the i14y Lab as that moderator I can talk to the other parties involved without any issues. i14y is working with multiple operators, so using them I can use this ground to talk to the respective network operators. This is not just an exhibition. I'm not only showing a showcase to others. I can also work with them.”
As we’ve recently extended the PlugFest into early November, our focus remains specifically on O-RU conformance, E2E specially mobility testing and use-case testing such as energy saving, traffic steering, etc.
We invite you to stay tuned as we progress through this PlugFest. As the O-RAN Alliance plans to issue a final report of this PlugFest later in the year, we're eager to share that information with you in the coming months. So follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date.
End-to-End
• The entire Open RAN system is the System under Test (SUT)
Test Areas
• Functionality
• Performance
• Security (on request, TBD)
• Stress (on request, TBD)
Specifications to be used
• O-RAN.TIFG.E2E-Test V04.00
OpenFH
• Interoperability of O-DU and O-RU using O-RAN fronthaul (FH) interface
Lower layer split test areas
• M-Plane interoperability test
• Start-up in hierarchical mode
• Start-up in hybrid mode
• S-Plane interoperability test
• Functional and performance test O-DU + bridged network + O-RU
using ITU-T G.8275.1 profile (LLS-C2 and LLS-C3)
• LLS-C1 and LLS-C4 (TBD)
These tests focus on the O-DU and O-RU implementations,
not on transport equipment
C/U-Plane Interoperability Test
• Radio Layer 3 C-Plane Establishment and Initial Radio U-Plane Data Transfer
• Radio U-Plane UL/DL Data Transfer (Throughput Performance)
C/U-Plane Delay Management IOT Test
• Delay Management (Max, Min, Normal Fronthaul Latency)
Specifications to be used
• O-RAN.WG4.CONF.0-R003-v08.00
• O-RAN.WG4.CUS.0-R003-v12.00
• O-RAN.WG4.MP.0-R003-v12.00
• O-RAN.WG4.IOT.0-R003-v10.00
O-RU as a product will be tested
Test Areas
• M-Plane
• UC-Plane
• S-Plane
Specifications
• O-RAN.WG4.CONF.0-R003-v08.00
• RU Product Test Plan (TBD)
Use Cases
• Traffic Steering
• Energy Saving
• Geo-Location
• Other use cases ... let’s discuss!
Specifications
• O-RAN.WG1.Use-Cases-Detailed-Specification-R003-v11
• RIA Use Case Requirements Implementation Guide for Open RAN 2.0
• O-RAN.TIFG.E2E-Test.0-v04.00.pdf
• Equipment shipping | on-site availability of devices/SW installations
• Preliminary support in defining the participation
• Preliminary contribution to test plan definition
• On-site and remote support during all PlugFest phases | integration, troubleshooting, testing, and reporting
• Marketing and self-logistics support
• Vendors will ship their equipment to the i14y lab
• Vendors to specify the details for lab preparation
• Bill of Materials | e.g., amount and type of virtual resources in our servers
• Number and type of RF and Ethernet connections to integrate the equipment in
the setup
• Detailed shipping guide available on i14y Lab Wiki shortly
• Shipping Deadline: 22nd September
NDA with i14y Lab
• Unless already signed during one of the previous PlugFests at i14y Lab
Contract with i14y Lab
• Clarifying roles and responsibilities
• Participation is free of charge
Registration with O-RAN ALLIANCE
• If the participant is an O-RAN ALLIANCE member company
The i14y Lab, a member of the O-RAN Alliance, hosts the event as part of the joint European PlugFest. It is supported by Deutsche Telekom and EANTC and other i14y consortium partners.
The sign up phase for the O-RAN PlugFest Fall 2023 at the i14y Lab has ended. If you have questions regarding this rendition, please message us at plugfest-request@i14y-lab.com
