ML-Powered Efficiency: Aira, VMware, and Broadcom’s 5G Network Management

Aira Technologies demonstrates interoperability between its energy saving rApp and the VMware cRIC, in a multi-vendor, end-to-end 5G test set-up at the i14y Lab in Berlin, Germany, as part of the O-RAN ALLIANCE Global PlugFest Fall 2023

Aira Technologies, a pioneer in the application of machine learning (ML) to radically improve wireless telecommunications, announced that together with VMware by Broadcom, they successfully demonstrated Aira’s Energy Management rApp integration, functionalities, and performance with the VMware cRIC as a non-RT RIC framework utilizing the VIAVI TeraVM network emulator in an O-RAN-based end-to-end network.

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To demonstrate interoperability, Aira set up an end-to-end configuration for the energy management use case test, using a VIAVI TeraVM network emulator to emulate a multi-layer 5G network. The Aira rApp runs atop the VMware cRIC which is connected to the TeraVM emulator, the source of network KPIs. The Aira rApp receives the required KPIs through the R1 interface from the VMware cRIC DME, and then stores the data in an Amazon S3 storage bucket and DynamoDB on AWS. The rApp applies ML algorithms and determines optimal energy efficient configurations from these KPIs, generates new network configuration management (CM) settings and provides new network CM back to VIAVI TeraVM to minimize the power consumption without impacting the QoS, based on the defined threshold.

“Aira is built on the premise that the application of ML to all layers of the RAN infrastructure stack can deliver breakthrough performance benefits to the operator community. What we have been able to achieve here showcases three very important things – the power of the Open RAN movement to accelerate innovation; the extraordinary potential for ML in cutting-edge wireless applications in 4G and 5G cellular networks; and the ability to inter-operate in a multi-vendor end-to-end test environment,” said Anand Chandrasekher, co-founder and CEO of Aira Technologies. “We look forward to continuing our work with VMware to make cellular networks significantly more energy efficient.”

Multi-layer cellular 5G network deployment typically features underlay coverage bands and overlay capacity bands. There are instances when capacity bands are not utilized, and keeping them on leads to unnecessary energy consumption. For any given cell, however, there is an optimal active band combination that minimizes power consumption while still meeting the throughput demands of the users attached to the radio unit (RU). This is a non-trivial problem to solve, since the throughput demands of the cell vary with time, and new cell configurations cannot be implemented too frequently. This is precisely the type of problem to which Machine Learning (ML) techniques can be applied, to increase the accuracy of the decision-making process.

Aira’s ML-based Dynamic Radio Network Management application solves this problem by using ML models to predict wireless network traffic demand, and choosing the active band combination that jointly optimizes power consumption and user experience. The rApp will receive RAN contextual information (e.g., DRB UL/DL throughput, PRB utilization) via the R1 interface to the non-RT RIC and provide new configuration management (CM) data back to the network emulator through Service Management and Orchestration (SMO).

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“Modern mobile networks are supporting ever-increasing demands for wireless throughputs with advanced, highly configurable features. These features are also driving up the energy footprint of these networks. Optimally configuring these features to minimize energy consumption without negatively impacting the overall user experience presents an extremely formidable multi-dimensional optimization problem. Aira is applying a machine learning-powered, data-driven approach to solve this problem,” said Ravikiran Gopalan, co-founder and CTO of Aira Technologies. “We are very excited to demonstrate inter-working with the VMware non-real time RIC at the i14y Lab PlugFest in Berlin, and in the process, play a part in making future mobile networks greener.”

The VMware cRIC platform has been built with a clear focus on open interfaces and multi-vendor interoperability, enabling innovative companies such as Aira to run a broad variety of innovative rApps.

“We’ve committed to helping grow RIC by fostering a robust partner ecosystem. Like Aira Technologies, we see an opportunity to help Communication Service Providers (CSPs) become more energy efficient, and RIC plays a role in helping drive that efficiency. We are proud of our collaboration with Aira to leverage the RIC to demonstrate energy optimization enabled by its ML app,” said Lakshmi Mandyam, vice president, Product Management and Partner Ecosystems, VMware Software-Defined Edge Division, Broadcom.

The test set up was hosted at the i14y Lab in Berlin, Germany – supported by Deutsche Telekom and EANTC and i14y consortium partners, as part of the O-RAN ALLIANCE Global PlugFest Fall 2023. The i14y Lab invited select vendors to participate in a plugfest to test multi-vendor solutions in a neutral third-party environment.

O-RAN ALLIANCE Global PlugFests are periodic events organized and co-sponsored by O-RAN ALLIANCE to enable efficient progress of the O-RAN ecosystem through well-organized testing and integration. Vendors and providers come together to test, evaluate and verify their products and solutions.

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