"DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPEN-SOURCE SIMULATION OF LTE AND 5G NETWORKS USING SDR AND VIRTUAL RADIO"

• Main Author: Mochamad Al Ghazali, Fikri
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/82165
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

The advancement of mobile communication technology has made rapid progress over the past few decades, with Long Term Evolution (LTE) and fifth-generation (5G) cellular network technology becoming the main pillars in the global digital transformation. LTE has provided significant improvements in data speed, network capacity, and spectrum efficiency compared to previous generations. Meanwhile, 5G promises further enhancements with low latency, higher speeds, and broader connectivity, enabling the implementation of advanced applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, and Augmented Reality (AR). However, one of the main challenges in the research and development of LTE and 5G technology is the cost and complexity of network infrastructure. Commercial hardware and software licenses required to build and test a complete cellular network are very expensive, making them inaccessible to many research institutions and independent developers. Software-Defined Radio (SDR) and virtual radio technology offer more flexible and cost-effective solutions for simulating and testing cellular networks. SDR allows radio functions to be programmed through software, providing high flexibility in the development and testing of various communication protocols without requiring hardware changes. This research aims to develop an open-source simulation of LTE and 5G networks using SDR and virtual radio. The method used includes the development of open- source software such as srsLTE and srsRAN, as well as the use of SDR hardware such as USRP B210 and BladeRF xA4. System implementation is carried out by creating an environment for the open-source platform and preparing the SDR hardware. System testing is conducted to measure the performance and reliability of connectivity in various usage scenarios and environmental conditions. The research results show that network components such as UE, eNB, gNB, and core network were individually simulated successfully, but end-to-end connectivity was not always achieved in testing with SDR. In the 5G network testing with virtual radio, the system showed good performance with low latency and no packet loss in all testing scenarios. This research concludes that SDR and virtual radio technology enable the development of flexible and cost-effective end-to-end cellular network systems. These systems can support the testing and optimization of various LTE and 5G iv communication protocols, provide a realistic and reliable simulation environment, and serve as a reliable training and research platform without requiring expensive physical infrastructure.