ns-O-RAN is the first open source simulation platform that combines a functional 4G/5G protocol stack in ns-3 with an O-RAN-compliant E2 interface. This completes WIoT’s OpenRAN Gym platform with a simulator that can enhance data collection and xApp testing capabilities, a key step toward enabling efficient and generic AI and ML solutions for Open RAN and 5G/6G systems.

ns-O-RAN has been designed and implemented to enable the integration of O-RAN software such as the O-RAN Software Community Near-RT RIC with large-scale 5G simulations based on 3GPP channel models and a detailed modeling of the full 3GPP RAN protocol stack. This allows data collection of RAN Key Performance Metrics (KPMs) at scale, in different simulated scenarios, and with different applications (e.g., multimedia streaming, web browsing, wireless virtual reality, etc). ns-O-RAN supports an O-RAN-compliant E2 interface and implements two E2 service models (E2SM), E2SM-Key Performance Metrics (KPM) monitoring and E2SM-RAN Control (RC), that enable a closed-loop control (for example, of traffic steering and mobility).

If you use ns-O-RAN, please reference the following paper:

A. Lacava, M. Polese, R. Sivaraj, R. Soundrarajan, B.S. Bhati, T. Singh, T. Zugno, F. Cuomo, and T. Melodia, "Programmable and Customized Intelligence for Traffic Steering in 5G Networks Using Open RAN Architectures," arXiv:2209.14171 [cs.NI], pp. 1-15, October 2022. [pdf] [bibtex]

ns-O-RAN builds on ns-3 and the ns3-mmWave module, which is developed and maintained by the University of Padova and NYU.

You can find more information about ns-O-RAN at the following repository. Finally, a detailed step-by-step quickstart guide is present at this page.