Open radio access network with unified remote units supporting multiple functional splits, multiple wireless interface protocols, multiple generations of radio access technology, and multiple radio frequency bands

US12425886B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Outdoor Wireless Networks LLC · US

Inventors

• Alfons Dussmann · Gansheim, DE
• Joerg Stefanik · Donauwörth, DE
• Patrick Braun · Munningen, DE
• Daniel Schwab · Gersthofen, DE
• Van E. Hanson · Forest, US
• Suresh N. Sriram · Kanchinakote, IN
• Thomas Kummetz · Kissing, DE
• Dean Zavadsky · Shakopee, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 22, 2024
• Grant date: Sep 23, 2025
• Expiry date: Jun 22, 2044

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W88/10
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

One embodiment is directed to a system to provide wireless coverage for a plurality of cells. The system comprises a virtualized headend and a plurality of remote units. The system is configured to operate as a distributed antenna system (DAS) when serving at least one of the cells. The plurality of remote units is configured to communicate with the virtualized headend using a switched Ethernet network. The virtualized headend is configured to communicate downlink user-plane data including frequency-domain IQ data and downlink control-plane data for a first cell served by at least one open radio access network (O-RAN) distributed unit (DU) to at least some of the remote units used to serve the first cell. At least some physical layer baseband processing for a wireless interface used to serve the first cell is performed by the virtualized headend or the remote units used to serve the first cell.