Nothing like some good food and great conversations to wrap up another day of PlugFest testing!
On Oct 23rd/ 24th we invited participants of this year's O-RAN ALLIANCE PlugFest Fall 2024 to join us in some networking and community events to allow participants to get to know those they've been testing alongside.
We hosted a "Speed Dating" open dialogue in which people, both in person and joining in remotely, were encouraged to openly discuss their thoughts on the state of open RAN and the future of their industry collaborations. So many ideas were shared and conversations continued as we moved the get together to a local Indian restaurant to enjoy a great dinner together!
We invited those at the dinner back again to the lab the next morning for an i14y Lab team breakfast. It has been an eventful few weeks and we want to thank everyone that took the time to be involved in this year's PlugFest so far! We hope it was as enjoyable and insightful for you as it has been for us!
O-RAN Global PlugFest Fall 2024
The i14y Lab consortium invites all vendors of Open RAN-related solutions and platforms to the upcoming O-RAN Global Plugfest Fall 2024. 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.
As we open the doors to a new season of testing, we’re thrilled to welcome participating vendors from across the industry. Together, we’re setting the stage for an exciting week of collaboration and innovation, pushing the boundaries of multi-vendor interoperability and Open RAN adoption.
Throughout this PlugFest, the i14y Lab team will be working closely with our partners to conduct a series of tests, including:
- Six end-to-end scenarios with O-RU/O-DU/O-CU,
- Two O-RU conformance tests, and
- Four network optimization scenarios focused on traffic steering, energy efficiency, and new use cases.
With a focus on non-functional testing, SMO/RIC integration, and life-cycle management, we’re committed to delivering consistent and repeatable results that align with O-RAN Alliance specifications and TIP test plans. Stay tuned as we share more insights and key findings in the coming days!
Get ready for the O-RAN Alliance Global PlugFest for Fall of 2024!
For our sixth PlugFest we wanted to get a head start and gave you all the information we think you need for successful testing in October with us. Our consortium partners from Deutsche Telekom and EANTC ran you through the most important information to bear in mind on July 10.
With some 50 attendees from overall 19 companies the turnout was great and we couldn't be happier about the initial response. For all those who could not take part - fret not: we've recorded the session and make it available on-demand.
If you're interested in joining us right in the heart of testing in Berlin or remotely - let us know via plugfest@i14y-lab.com
Stay tuned for more exciting updates in this space!
Timelines
| Action | Start | End |
| i14y Lab PlugFest Fall 2024 Info Call - tbd | July 10 4pm (GMT+1) | July 10 5pm (GMT+1) |
| i14y Lab Contract Deadline | Now | Until Aug 29 |
| O-RAN ALLIANCE Call for Participation | August 5 | August 16 |
| i14y Lab Prestaging/ Shipping Deadline | Now | September 23 latest |
| i14y Lab Official Testing Period | October 7 | October 25 |
| i14y Lab Documentation/ Reporting | From October 28 | November 15 |
| O-RAN ALLIANCE Presentation Week | November 18 | November 22 |
What will be tested?
Invited participants are expected to provide:
- O-RU, O-DU, O-CU
- Near-RT or non-RT RIC
- SMO, xApps, rApps
- Test and measurement equipment
Our high-level test scope is:
- New test focus for end-to-end scenarios on top of previous PlugFest scope:
- Non-functional testing beyond existing TIFG E2E scope
- Realistic E2E integration with SMO and/or RIC
- Platform integration with life-cycle management tests
- Expand on RIC use case testing on top of previous PlugFest scope:
- Traffic Steering
- Energy Efficiency
- New use cases where partners align and standardized test plans become available
New or improved test cases that are developed as part of this event will be upstreamed to the respective SDO.
QUESTIONS?
There will be a PlugFest info call on 10 July 2024 at 4pm (GMT+1), so if you have some questions or would like to participate, send us a message to plugfest-request@i14y-lab.com
„Terms and Conditions“
Participants are asked to
- Attend planning calls and preparational activities
- Provide system under test hardware (if applicable) and/or software for the full pre-staging and testing time
- Provide (remote) installation and configuration support during prestaging
- Actively participate in testing (on-site, if possible, at least with a partial team) and provide experienced engineering support for troubleshooting during at least two full 2 weeks of the main Plugfest time
- Share full results for all test cases executed with the Plugfest organizers
- Review the test report and provide feedback
Formal Participation Requirements
- NDA with i14y Lab (unless already signed during one of the previous plugfests at i14y Lab)
- Contract with i14y Lab (clarifying roles & responsibilities; participation is free of charge)
- Registration with O-RAN ALLIANCE
Please note:
- Calls can be attended, and test plans shared once the NDA is signed.
- Remote or on-site pre-staging and testing are permitted once the i14y Lab contract is signed.
- Results are included in O-RAN ALLIANCE presentation material once the O-RAN ALLIANCE registration is completed.
Are you interested?
The sign up phase for the O-RAN PlugFest Fall 2024 hosted by i14y Lab will begin soon. If you have questions regarding this rendition, please message us at plugfest-request@i14y-lab.com
About us
The i14y Lab is an open lab for interoperability testing of disaggregated telco systems, such as Open RAN. The lab is operated by a consortium of strong academic and industry partners led by Deutsche Telekom and supported with funding from the German Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV).
