P2025-199 ITT for the Provision of Non Real Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non RT - RIC) base software

ARIANE was developed to address three specific industry needs: API understanding and harmonization across RIC platforms, creating a rich set of AI driven applications and ensuring performance, security and portability of RIC apps (xAPPS and rAPPS). The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) funded extension to ARIANE (named ARIANE- II), will pick the outcomes of ARIANE that can be developed further given the time and budget constraints to create additional value for the Open RAN industry.

ARIANE-II will add additional cohorts to the project: Digital Catapult, a testbed including RICs from Capgemini, RU-DU-CU infrastructure in the lab indoor test network (minimum 3 small cells with UE devices). This is where the work done in ARIANE can be extended to showcase operations in Indoor OTA sites and new non-Real Time RIC platforms and APIs respectively. Specifically, the Energy management use cases developed in ARIANE will be extended in scope to include MIMO mode re-configuration in addition to cell ON/OFF. The use cases will be developed on new Capgemini non-Real Time RIC platform, as rAPPs, which will manage both the simulated RF environment (through Viavi RSG) and Indoor OTA sites provided through Digital Catapult.

Digital Catapult is seeking to engage with vendors supplying solution(s) that can provide software extension(s) to the Capgemini Non Real Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non RT - RIC) base software, with the capability to design, supply, Install, configure and integrate a compliant solution.