The Accelerating RAN Intelligence in 5G (ARI-5G) Consortium, led by the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and in collaboration with Accelleran, Amdocs, Attocore, British Telecom (BT), and VIAVI Solutions, focused on revolutionizing network management and optimization in Open RAN environments.

The project demonstrated the value of a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) platform that leveraged AI/ML-driven xAPPs and rAPPs to enhance network performance in multi-vendor ecosystems. By promoting open interfaces and interoperability, ARI-5G tackled long-standing challenges in mobile network optimization, such as energy efficiency, power consumption, and spectrum management, making it a game-changer for 5G deployment.

Supported by the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), this project marked a significant leap in advancing RAN intelligence within the 5G ecosystem.

Here are the major achievements showcased by the project:

• Coverage and Capacity Optimization (CCO): Amdocs developed an xApp that used AI and ML algorithms to optimize network coverage and capacity, achieving an 8% improvement in real-world coverage.
• SSB Beam-Set Optimization: Amdocs also developed an xApp focused on optimizing beam management in mMIMO (Massive MIMO) configurations, leading to a 26% improvement in coverage.
• Energy Management: Accelleran’s xApp utilized predictive traffic patterns to reduce power consumption, resulting in a 60% improvement in energy savings.
• Interference Mitigation: VIAVI’s xApp reduced inter-cell interference, improving the performance of active UEs by up to 50%.

These solutions were rigorously tested on both real and simulated networks, showcasing the robustness of the RIC platform in 5G Standalone deployments. The success of ARI-5G demonstrated how public-private partnerships could drive innovation while reducing vendor lock-in. The project unlocked new opportunities for operators and vendors by validating real-world use cases.

To explore the detailed results and technical findings of the ARI-5G project, download the full white paper here UK DSIT Future RAN Competition (FRANC) Accelerating RAN Intelligence in 5G