O-RAN technical specification effort progresses with healthy momentum. We keep expanding Radio Access Networks (RAN) standards with open interfaces and intelligent RAN functions. All published specifications will soon be available to the general public upon agreement to the O-RAN ALLIANCE Adopter License.
Another 39 newly released specifications bring updates to existing O-RAN standards, enriching them with new functions or updated features according to the O-RAN Architecture.
Below is a brief overview of all recently published specifications:
The O-RAN Architecture Description document specifies the overall architecture of O-RAN. It describes all of the O-RAN functions and relevant interfaces that connect these functions. This version enhances the functional architecture of the Non-RT RIC by elaborating the relationship between rApps, R1 interface, Non-RT RIC framework and SMO framework. It introduces the concept of ‘anchored’ vs. ‘non-anchored’ functionality within the SMO and Non-RT RIC frameworks. It also provides a high level view of the ‘functions’ required to enable the capabilities of the rApps. The description of CTI (Cooperative Transport Interface) along with a simple implementation example is another notable addition of this version.
This document describes O-RAN slicing related use cases, requirements and architecture. Along with requirements and a reference slicing architecture, slicing related impact to O-RAN functions and interfaces is also captured. This version includes addition of O-NSSI (O-RAN Network Slice Subnet Instance) modification procedure and the Annex on transport network slicing use cases and roadmap.
This document describes potential O-RAN use cases at a very high level, emphasizing how the use cases are enabled by the O-RAN architecture along with basic input data expectations and resulting actions. This version includes additions to QoE Optimization use case.
This document describes selected O-RAN use cases in further details to facilitate relevant O-RAN Workgroups to define requirements for associated O-RAN functions and interfaces. This version includes additions to Massive MIMO Beam Forming use case.
This document provides details on AI/ML lifecycle management including model design, composition, and model runtime access to data and the model deployment solutions. Criteria for determining various ML training host and ML inference host deployment options is highlighted. It also elaborates on AI/ML models used in O-RAN use cases aligned with the WG1-Use Case Task Group work effort. This revision adds federated learning support and multiple editorial improvements.
This document provides the technical specification for the Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC) architecture. This revision offers architecture diagram of Non-RT RIC, collects requirements on the Non-RT RIC framework, Non-RT RIC logical functions and services of the R1 interface. This document also specifies Non-RT RIC framework functionalities and services exposed to the applications.
This document helps identify requirements for Non-Real-Time Radio Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC) and A1 interface and will lead to formal drafting of interface specifications. The motivation, resources, steps involved and data requirements for each use case are described, followed by the respective functional and non-functional requirements derived therein. In this revision, Non-RT RIC related definitions and abbreviations are updated and R1 functional requirements are added.
This document defines the data types for A1 Policies and A1 Enrichment Information in a reusable and extensible way. It allows new policy types to be created independently of the generic application protocol parts. This revision introduces new policy types for UE Level target and Slice SLA target and enhances data type definitions and JSON encodings.
This document describes the general aspects and principle applied in A1 interface within the O-RAN architecture. This revision adds a lot of editorial improvements and enhances descriptions of A1 policy scope and content.
This document details the functional and non-functional requirements on Near-RT RIC and E2 interface from the O-RAN use cases under study in O-RAN Working Group 3. This version of the specification consists of Traffic Steering and QoS/QoE optimization use cases.
This document introduces additional E2 procedures and refined description of the control service. Enhancements on the transport and security aspects are also included.
This document details the enhanced definitions of procedures, messages and information elements corresponding to E2GAP v2.0.
This document serves as the overall framework for the set of specialized E2SMs, each of which is dedicated to a specific RAN function. This document also includes the common information elements used across the specialized E2SMs.
This document specifies the capabilities exposed over E2 interface to enable efficient control of RAN, including radio bear control, radio access control, connected mode mobility, etc. The following services are detailed in the specification:
This document specifies the capabilities exposed over E2 interface to enable report of measurements from O-DU, O-CU-CP, and/or O-CU-UP. This version supports the necessary performance measurements to fulfill the requirements for Traffic Steering and QoS/QoE optimization use cases.
This document describes O-RAN Open Fronthaul M-Plane Specification, which defines the Management Plane of the Open Fronthaul Interface as well as the associated YANG models. In this version there are several clarifications and new capabilities including External antenna delay handling, TD-RSSI measurement capability & FTPES based file transfer.
This document describes O-RAN Open Fronthaul IOT Specification, which defines tests to validate the ability for O-DU and O-RU equipment to operate together using the Open Fronthaul Interface. In this version there are several clarifications and a few new capabilities, most significantly a down-selected profile list of test configurations for mMIMO.
This document describes O-RAN Open Fronthaul CUS-Plane Specification, which defines the Control Plane, User Plane and Synchronization Plane of the Open Fronthaul Interface.
In this version there are several clarifications and a few new capabilities, most significantly External Antenna Delay handling, 2-step delay measurement, 3GPP R16 PRRACH formats and new section extensions 19 & 20 for improved efficiency.
This document describes O-RAN Open Fronthaul Conformance Test Specification, which defines conformance tests of the Open Fronthaul Interface. In this version there are additional enhancements to align with WG4 frontal spec version 6.0 & to address M-Plane transport version choice of IPv4 or IPv6.
The scope of C-Plane profile spec is to further clarify (i.e. profile) for each RAN node the expected behavior (still within the scope of the 3GPP specifications), e.g. usage of IEs for each use case, general behavior of each node, etc. C-Plane profile spec contains profiles of X2/F1/Xn C-Plane procedure for EN-DC use cases, NR-SA use cases and NR-DC use cases.
This version of the C-Plane profile spec mainly introduces:
The scope of O-CU O1 Interface spec is to specify the interface that links O-CU-CP and O-CU-UP to the Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework. It is focused on O-CU management operations, performance counters, fault supervision, software management, and configuration parameters for O-CU. This version of O-CU O1 spec is a baseline spec that mainly includes:
The scope of O-DU O1 Interface spec is to specify the interface that links O-DU to the Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework. It is focused on O-DU management operations, performance counters, fault supervision, software management, synchronization management, and configuration parameters for O-DU. This version of O-DU O1 spec mainly introduces:
This document specifies the O-RAN cloud architecture (O-Cloud) along with the requirements of an O-Cloud. This document also specifies the various scenarios and use cases for O-RAN deployment. This version introduces LLS-C1 in the time synchronization architecture, besides adding the requirement for the cloud platform to support traffic isolation for an application. This version also extends the Scenario E for macrocell deployment where the O-DUs and O-RUs are co-located at the cell site, but not necessarily in the same chassis.
This document details the AAL specification consisting of the description of the interface, information model requirements to implement an AALi, for the AAL_PUSCH_FEC and AAL_PDSCH_FEC Profiles. This version only includes stage 2 aspects of the specification (i.e., requirements, definition of input and output parameters, and optional vs mandatory items). The stage 3 spec, i.e., a header file, will be released after procedural matters relating to treatment of non-O-RAN license material (e.g., BSD, Apache2) are finalized.
This document specifies use cases and associated requirements for the management and orchestration of O-RAN virtualized RAN. This version incorporates use case updates to support network slicing and common application lifecycle management, and adds use cases for reset/recovery and fault subscribe/notify/query to support additional management functionality.
This document specifies the general aspects and principles associated with the O2 interface. This version adds DMS concepts and terminology, fault management concepts, and alignment with 3GPP specifications. Further clarifications and corrections have been made as analysis continues on the O2 interface.
This document details the general aspects and principles on the Accelerator Abstraction Layer (AAL). The AAL advances separation of hardware from software by defining abstract interfaces for accelerated RAN functions to allow a RAN software implementation to work with different accelerator implementations.
This is a new document that specifies the O2ims interface. This specification outlines the infrastructure management services of the O2 interface. The initial version introduces infrastructure inventory services and infrastructure lifecycle management services, which outline the registration and discovery of an O-Cloud.
This specification defines an API to allow events of local significance in the O-Cloud, e.g. loss of clock synchronization, or accelerator lifecycle events, to be communicated directly from the O-Cloud to the Network Functions. Local delivery of O-Cloud notifications enables CNFs such as the O-DU/O-RU to react with lower latency and independent of management layer connectivity to conditions that arise in the O-Clouds. A standardized local delivery API/specification allows such CNF / O-DU / O-RU from various vendors to operate in O-Clouds from other vendors.
This is the O-RAN WG7 Hardware Reference Design Specification for Indoor Picocell FR1 with Split Architecture Option 8 (V2). It describes one white box hardware reference design example for indoor deployments. In this version you will find:
This is the O-RAN WG7 Hardware Reference Design Specification for Indoor Picocell FR1 with Split Architecture Option 7-2 (V2). It describes one white box hardware reference design example for indoor deployments. Major revision in this version are as follows:
The document specifies a high-level architecture and hardware design for an Indoor Picocell using the Split Option 6 deployment scenario as specified in the Deployment Scenarios and Base Station Classes document. Major revision in this version are as follows:
This document describes one white box hardware reference design example for outdoor deployments. Major revision in this version are as follows:
This document specifies a hardware reference design for the fronthaul gateway. The fronthaul gateway can be used to terminate O-RAN fronthaul user, control, synchronization, and management planes for option 7-2x and to translate the signals to and from a number of CPRI interfaces (option 8). It can further multiplex or demultiplex option 7-2x fronthaul signals to or from a number of O-RUs. This version of the specification only supports option 7-2x to option 8 conversion and vice versa in addition to the transport of other traffic streams. Major revision in this version are as follows:
The document specifies a high-level architecture and hardware design for an Indoor Picocell using the Split Option 6 deployment scenario as specified in the Deployment Scenarios and Base Station Classes document. Major revision in this version are as follows:
The O-RAN WG8 Stack Interoperability Test Specification provides interoperability test cases of O-CU and O-DU for end to end call flows. This version contains new O1 and E2 Test Cases.
The O-RAN WG8 Base Station O-CU and O-DU Architecture and APIs specification provides the reference architecture, design and APIs for O-CU and O-DU implementation. The specification details the functional block of O-CU and O-DU, including messages across L1, L2 and L3 layers and call flows. This version contains:
The document is intended to describe best practices for O-RAN transport based on end-to-end packet switching technology. Version 02.00 provides an enhancement to address the need for transport network slicing that was agreed with WG1 as part of slicing feature plan phase 1.
The document is intended to describe best practices for O-RAN transport Network Element (TNE) management interfaces. Version 02.00 provides the following enhancements to version 01.00:
This document defines the testing requirements for an Open Xhaul transport infrastructure. It is based on Xhaul Transport Requirement document, Packet Switched Architectures and Solutions document, the WDM-based Fronthaul Transport, and Synchronization Architecture and Solution documents.
The O-RAN OAM Architecture identifies management services, managed elements, functions and applications supported in O-RAN, including the interworking between SMO and O-RAN O-Cloud management components. Requirements are derived from end-to-end OAM use cases, including the initial provisioning of O-RAN service across VNFs and PNFs and the collection of measurement data. This version adds an end-to-end use case for configuration provisioning as well as updates for alignment with the O-RAN Architecture Description v.05. It also extends the framework for lifecycle management of applications with a high level information model, a set of associated LCM requirements, and a new Appendix with application lifecycle management flows.
The O1 interface defines management services supported by O-RAN managed elements and provides an interface between these managed elements and the SMO. In this version of the O1 interface we introduce the following enhancements.
This document specifies security protocols as to be used for O-RAN compliant implementation. It adds IPSec, DTLS and TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 alignment with 3GPP TS33.210 from V1.0 version.
This document specifies the O-RAN Security Threat Modeling and Remediation Analysis. It identifies assets to be protected, analyzes the O-RAN components for vulnerabilities, examines potential threats associated with those vulnerabilities and provides security principles, which stakeholders should address when building a secure end-to-end O-RAN system. From V1.0 it adds a risk assessment that aims to assess the criticality of threats based on their potential impacts.
This document specifies the Security Requirements per O-RAN Interface and per O-RAN component.
This document describes the certification and badging processes and associated detail technical procedures that Open Testing and Integration Centre (OTIC) and various other testing entities should adopt. Changes from the previous version include:
This test specification is focused on validating the end-to-end system functionality, performance, and key features of the O-RAN system as a black box, incl. testing of application-level services (data, voice, video) as experienced by end-user, testing of end-to-end radio access network security, load and stress testing. Future versions of this specification may add additional chapters for test cases on timing and synchronization, operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM), and other cases of relevance from an end-to-end system perspective.
This document describes the essential criteria and guidelines (guiding principles) from process, organization, space and technical perspective on the qualified Open Testing and Integration Centre (OTIC). This version changes the format of the document from a technical specification to a process document, updates the OTIC application approval process (Chapter 4), adds the Hosting agreement (Annex C) and extends the OTIC application form with OTIC host self-declaration (Annex A).
Chih-Lin I and Sachin Katti
