CCI partners with CPQD, Brazil’s leading information and communication technology company

Projects and testing to expand  international open radio access networks

The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) xG Testbed is partnering with CPQD, an innovation leader in information and communications technologies in Brazil, to collaborate on open radio access network (Open-RAN) projects and testing. 

The CCI xG Testbed is one of the largest indoor and outdoor Open-RAN test beds in the United States. The Testbed is also one of 19 global Open Testing and Integration Centres (OTIC) sites and operates the North American OTIC in Arlington, Va./Washington, D.C. 

“Expanding the Open-RAN ecosystem is a vital part of creating an open and interoperable network that’s affordable and flexible for network providers and software developers,” said Aloizio DaSilva, CCI xG Testbed director. “We’re looking forward to collaborating, exchanging lessons learned and helping to accelerate  CPQD OTIC and an Open-RAN lab in South America. We’ll also be leveraging collaboration with CPQD on Open-RAN research projects and OTIC Testing and Evaluation.” 

O-RAN’s goal of intelligent, open, virtualized, and fully interoperable mobile networks promises to spur marketplace competition and evolve network technology at a faster pace than proprietary or “black box” technology. OTICs help achieve that goal by allowing vendors and providers to test, evaluate, and verify their products and software solutions.

CPQD is accrediting the first OTIC laboratory in Latin America, the South American OTIC in Campinas (SAOC) at CPQD, said Fuad Mousse Abinader Jr., the technical coordinator of the OpenRAN Competence Center.

“This strategic partnership with Virginia Tech and CCI, which operates the prestigious North American OTIC in Washington, D.C. (also known as the CCI xG Testbed), will be essential to accelerate the maturation of the Brazilian Open-RAN ecosystem,” Abinader said. “It will enable joint participation in experiments and events like PlugFests and hackathons; collaborative studies in cybersecurity related to Open-RAN technology; the evolution of the open-source Open-RAN stack srsRAN to meet the specific demands of the Brazilian ecosystem; and the exchange between researchers from CPQD and Virginia Tech to develop Open-RAN research that addresses the needs of the Brazilian market.”

Abinader added: “The benefits of flexibility, supplier diversification, and innovation provided by Open-RAN technology depend heavily on the end-to-end compliance, interoperability, and performance tests specified by the O-RAN Alliance. The systematic execution of these tests on different Open-RAN components—conducted by certification and badging laboratories accredited by the O-RAN Alliance, known as Open Test and Integration Centers (OTIC)—plays a fundamental role in the Open-RAN ecosystem.”

The international collaboration also will boost workforce development at Virginia Tech and CCI, specifically for graduate students who are working in the CCI xG Testbed, DaSilva said.

CCI has become a key contributor to the Wireless Innovation Fund managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The CCI xG Testbed is an integral part of the initiative’s wireless innovation strategy, and a unique platform for testing and experimentation with the interoperability and security of open networks.

NTIA, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, funds projects through the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund, with resources provided by the CHIPS and Science Act.

CCI researchers are involved in a total of six projects funded under the Innovation Fund’s first call for proposals through grants to develop and ensure the security of Open Radio Access Networks (Open-RAN). 

• For more information about CCI, contact Michele McDonald, mmcdonald@vt.edu.
• For more information about CPQD, contact Júlia Santos Sahão, jsahao@cpqd.com.br