A5G Networks, Inc., an autonomous mobile core software company, and the Institute for the Wireless Internet of Things (WIoT) at Northeastern University recently announced their intelligent and automated end-to-end private 5G network based on a multi-vendor environment is now available.
The network is deployed and serving indoor users in the Northeastern University campus in Boston. An extension to the school’s Burlington, Massachusetts, campus has been planned. The Radio Access Network (RAN) is fully virtualized and automated, based on OpenAirInterface (OAI), while the core network leverages the A5G cloud-native mobile core.
The A5G mobile core is fully cloud-native and compliant with 3GPP Release 17 specifications. It supports AI/ML features and connects 4G, 5G and Wi-Fi devices. The mobile core software offers an efficient path for enterprises and service providers toward a cost-effective deployment across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The A5G mobile core is also secure and a highly scalable packet core. It can be used for small to large deployments for Internet of Things (IoT), private networks, smart cities, connected car networks, MEC and public networks to provide an optimized service experience.
“Through this engagement, Northeastern University and A5G Networks will collaborate to maximize the performance of private 5G and mobile edge deployments by deploying A5G’s autonomous and converged packet core software and Northeastern University’s zTouch for private 5G network,” said Rajesh Mishra, Founder and CEO of A5G Networks.
WIoT, which hosts an Open Testing and Integration Center (OTIC) that the O-RAN ALLIANCE approved, and A5G successfully integrated the A5G 5G core network with the WIoT private 5G RAN for the first time. Both are hosted on a fully automated cluster, built on Dell servers, the RedHat OpenShift platform, and intelligent automation pipelines developed by the WIoT spinoff zTouch Networks.
The zTouch Networks offer intent-based, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven zero-touch automation for a variety of applications and use cases in end-to-end 5G and O-RAN cellular networks.
“We are very proud to host this private 5G network, which integrates mature 5G and O-RAN products from small business partners in the greater Boston area and established international open-source projects,” Tommaso Melodia, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern and WIoT director, said in a statement. “Northeastern, through its Open6G OTIC, and A5G have shown how virtualization, softwarization, and disaggregation, key elements of the Open RAN vision, can support agile and cost-effective private 5G deployments with zero-touch automation.”
