We present ProtO-RU, the first open source, software-defined O-RAN Split-7.2 Radio Unit built using SDRs and commodity CPUs. Unlike proprietary hardware-based commercial O-RUs, ProtO-RU is built on the open-source srsRAN software stack, and it is fully programmable. We demonstrate that ProtO-RU integrates with the srsRAN and OpenAirInterface5G CU/DU stacks, supports both TDD and FDD duplexing modes, and interoperates with commercial 5G UEs. Our evaluation shows that ProtO-RU remains stable under sustained load with multiple UEs and delivers throughput comparable to Split-8 and commercial O-RUs. ProtO-RU opens up new opportunities for RU-level innovations and lowers the barrier of entry for end-to-end O-RAN research.

翻译：本文介绍了ProtO-RU，这是首个基于软件定义无线电（SDR）和商用CPU构建的开源、软件定义的O-RAN Split-7.2无线单元。与基于专有硬件的商用O-RU不同，ProtO-RU建立在开源srsRAN软件栈之上，并具备完全可编程性。我们证明ProtO-RU能够与srsRAN和OpenAirInterface5G CU/DU栈集成，支持TDD和FDD双工模式，并能与商用5G用户设备实现互操作。评估结果表明，ProtO-RU在多个用户设备持续负载下保持稳定，其吞吐性能与Split-8及商用O-RU相当。ProtO-RU为无线单元层面的创新开辟了新机遇，并降低了端到端O-RAN研究的入门门槛。