An Experiment on 5G Open-RAN Platform with Sub-THz Backhauling

• Published in: 2024 IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC) pp. 01 - 06
• Main Authors: Saba, Norshahida, Andrianopoulos, Efstathios, Lyras, Nikolaos K., Katta, Saimanoj, Abdulkadir, Mohammedadem, Pikasis, Evangelos, Schwanke, Garrit, Qian, Tianwen, Deumer, Milan, Nellen, Simon, Tsirbas, Elias, Loghis, Eleftherios, Megas, Georgios, Tsokos, Christos, Groumas, Panos, De Felipe, David, Kohlhaas, Robert B., Massaouti, Maria, Kouloumentas, Christos, Kritharidis, Dimitrios, Keil, Norbert, Avramopoulos, Hercules, Costa-Requena, Jose, Jantti, Riku
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 21.04.2024
• Subjects: 5G mobile communication; backhaul; Open RAN; Optical mixing; Performance analysis; photonics; Real-time systems; Terahertz; Throughput; Uplink; Wireless communication
• ISSN: 1558-2612
• DOI: 10.1109/WCNC57260.2024.10571291

The deployment of fifth-generation (5G) open radio access network (RAN) introduces new opportunities for wireless communication, particularly in the context of x-Haul wireless links. This paper presents a comprehensive demonstration of how photonic-generated sub- THz at 120 GHz was utilized for wireless backhaul within the 5G open RAN platform. The experimental setup highlighted the feasibility and effectiveness of establishing a sub- THz link as the backhaul, marking a significant advancement in this emerging field. Through extensive performance analysis, we evaluated 5G network's throughput, achieving approximately 957 Mbps for downlink with UDP and 269 Mbps with TCP. In the case of uplink, both UDP and TCP exhibited comparable speeds, both exceeding 80 Mbps. This work marks a significant achievement in advancing the development of photonic-generated sub- THz wireless links, holding the potential to enhance wireless transport capabilities, particularly in the context of advanced 5G networks and beyond..