Open-Source 5G Ran Platforms: A Dual Perspective on Performance and Capabilities

Open-source 5G radio access network platforms such as OpenAirInterface (OAI) and srsRAN support research, rapid prototyping, and lower-cost private networks. Their capabilities are often assessed in separate testbeds or through partial comparisons, making it difficult to judge how they perform across different radios, network configurations, user devices, and applications. This study sets out to compare the two platforms from both a feature and performance perspective, emphasizing practical deployment flexibility as well as measured network behavior.

The evaluation combines a qualitative review of supported features with quantitative tests of radio resource control connection setup, achieved data rates relative to theoretical expectations, and application performance. It examines Video on Demand to assess throughput, and Live Streaming and Cloud Gaming to represent latency-sensitive workloads with distinct quality-of-service needs. The researchers also consider different software-defined radios, RAN configurations, and numbers of real user equipment, addressing dimensions often missing from prior evaluations. Together, these tests are intended to show how platform choice affects both network operation and user-facing services. The supplied summary describes the evaluation’s scope but does not report comparative results or identify a winning platform.