Open5GCore – The Next Mobile Core Network Testbed Platform
The Fraunhofer FOKUS Open5GCore toolkit is the worldwide first practical implementation of the 3GPP 5G core network. It prototypes 3GPP Release 15 and 16 core network functionality, in a form suitable for R&D activities. Open5GCore is interoperable with 5G NR base stations and user equipment.
Open5GCore aims at providing support and speeding up research, by facilitating the know-how transfer from Fraunhofer FOKUS towards customers. It serves as a consistent basis for 5G testbed deployments for trials and pilots as well as for the further development of new standard-oriented functional features.
Open5GCore implements the new 5G components as standalone, independent of the previous 4G EPC functionality. Through this, Open5GCore enables a fast and targeted 5G innovation, hands-on fast implementation, and realistic evaluation and demonstration of new concepts and use case opportunities.
Open5GCore Rel. 6 – completing the core network functionality
Open5GCore represents a first 5G core network implementation addressing the needs of 5G testbeds for FOKUS and for partner activities. Open5GCore Rel. 6 main features are:
- Fundamental 5G core network functionality (AMF, SMF, AUSF, UDM, NRF, UPF)
- Implementation of Service Based Architecture [HTTP/2 OpenAPI, REST]
- Integration with standard 5G NR and UEs [N1, N2, N3]
- Data path diversity support with local offload and backhaul control (PFCP [N4])
- Advanced session management with traffic influence and basic QoS
- Network slice support
- Non-3GPP access support
- Maintaining the 4G core for LTE and 5G NSA access
Open5GCore Rel. 6 integrates with 5G New Radio Stand-Alone (SA) base stations and user equipment enabling immediate demonstration of different features and applications and supporting the current need to have a flexible 5G Core Network in addition to the evolved EPC one (used for LTE and 5G NSA).
Open5GCore runs on top of common hardware platforms and can be deployed with containers or virtual machines on top of a large number of virtualization environments. The required hardware for a testbed setup, highly depends on the expected capacity. Open5GCore scales from Raspberry PI to a complete rack of servers.
Open5GCore is highly customizable, enabling the deployment of instances addressing the needs of the specific use cases. The source code license option extends the offer with ultimate flexibility for easy customization and prototype developments.
