Load Distribution in the Open Radio Access Network

Abstract: As 5G and O-RAN become more widely used, the number of user equipment requesting access to the network will increase. This will require operators to expand their 5G solutions by purchasing more hardware to handle the increase in demand. The acquisition of new hardware will have both an economic and an environmental impact. Hardware is costly for operators, both in initial cost and when operating it. There is also a significant energy cost associated, which has a negative environmental impact.     This thesis explores the benefits of more advanced control over the path taken within the Radio Access Network, with the goal of increasing the number of user equipment able to connect to a static set of hardware. The control comes from new algorithms designed with the intuition that providing connections with only the bare essentials and nothing more would, in theory, increase the capacity of the whole network. Three algorithms were tested, with one representing a basic control method of selecting the first valid connection, and the other two were built on the intuition of the worst acceptable connection.     The three algorithms were tested on four different shapes of network configuration at four different sizes. The tests were run on a graph data structure implemented in C++ that represents the logical paths a connection could take. This resulted in a noticeable improvement in networks that exhibited a triangular structure, with more units as one moved toward the edge of the network. The largest improvement observed managed to fit 18.9% more units into the network.