Bringing an Open-Source 5G Core to the FABRIC Community

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, University of Kentucky, and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University are developing an open-source 5G core network for the FABRIC research platform. Led by Professor K. K. Ramakrishnan, Assistant Professor Shixiong Qi, and Professor Jyh-Cheng "JC" Chen, the project aims to democratize access to advanced cellular network experimentation.

The 5G core serves as the central component managing device connections and data exchange in cellular networks. Historically controlled by commercial vendors through proprietary systems, this initiative creates an open, standards-compliant alternative focused on performance optimization.

Key focus areas

The team prioritizes minimizing latency in control plane operations — activities like device registration and base station handovers. Ramakrishnan emphasized: "We want to make sure that we can minimize that latency for the control plane operations."

Service model

Rather than requiring researchers to install and maintain their own infrastructure, the team integrates the 5G core directly into FABRIC as a managed service. Qi noted this approach enables academics to "work on a real 5G core" and conduct "nationwide experiments" without access to proprietary commercial systems.

Implementation status

The platform already operates on FABRIC, with the team completing final security and authentication features. Ramakrishnan indicated: "We're hoping by the end of summer, we would have it as a service for people to experiment with."

This initiative removes technical barriers, enabling researchers to focus on innovation rather than infrastructure management.