Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN or Open RAN) is revolutionizing the telecom landscape by offering flexibility, innovation, and intelligence through an open and disaggregated architecture.
The cloudification of RAN functions introduces stringent requirements to meet real-time processing, time synchronization across the nodes, and optimal networking to achieve desired performance. The O-DU (O-RAN distributed unit) function is the most computationally intensive and time-critical component in an O-RAN system, requiring deployment closer to the radio cell site.
Importance Of Cloud In Open Ran — The O-DU performs functions at the RLC, MAC, and physical layers of the 3GPP RAN stack, which are computationally complex and latency-sensitive. These functions directly influence wireless channel throughput and coverage, impacting the user experience. Thus, the O-DU function must be hosted at the edge locations or radio cell sites at the far edge. (Tech Mahindra)