CampusOS Consortium publishes Guideline for Open and Modular 5G Campus Networks

To mark the conclusion of the CampusOS flagship project, 22 partners from industry and research have published a guideline for the development and operation of open and modular 5G campus networks. These networks offer an alternative to the monolithic solutions of established providers and, through their Open RAN-based approach, promote the digital sovereignty of European companies. 5G campus networks can be deployed in various sectors, such as logistics, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare.

5G campus networks are a key technology for the future of industry. These "private networks" offer companies the ability to deploy tailored, high-performance mobile networks to meet their specific needs. They also ensure extremely reliable, low-latency, and secure communication, which is particularly essential for Industry 4.0 applications, such as automated production processes, as well as other innovative applications like connected robotics or remotely operated vehicles.

Over the past three years, the CampusOS consortium has developed technologies and a reference architecture for campus networks based on open and modular radio technologies and interoperable network components, following the Open RAN principle. The partners have also designed blueprints and created a catalog of building blocks, which have been evaluated in reference test fields and in application scenarios with industrial partners. In addition to optimizing the technical aspects, the experts incorporated analysis of value chains and operating models.

Based on these results, the CampusOS consortium has now published a guideline to help companies create future-proof 5G campus networks – from the definition of the use cases to technical and non-technical requirements to the completed networks. The guideline is designed for both business executives and technical experts.

“The guide is an important contribution to building an ecosystem for open and modular 5G campus networks, to promote manufacturer independence, competition, and innovation, and to strengthen the digital sovereignty of companies in Germany and Europe,” explains Prof. Slawomir Stanczak, Head of the "Wireless Communication and Networks" department at Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI).

“Collaborating with 22 partners, representing both providers and users, we’ve created a guide that is not only technologically innovative but also highly practical for industry,” says Prof. Thomas Magedanz, Director of the "Software-based Networks" business unit at Fraunhofer FOKUS.

The CampusOS guideline "Open Private 5G Networks - from Business Needs to Realization" is available for download here.

The CampusOS flagship project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and led by the Fraunhofer Institutes FOKUS and HHI. The project will end in March 2025.

Following the completion of the project, operations will continue within xG-ALOE (Alliance for Open Enterprise Networks). The alliance is open to new partners. More information can be found here. Additionally, components and application scenarios can be validated at two reference testbeds at Fraunhofer FOKUS and Fraunhofer HHI.