Advancing O-RAN to Facilitate Intelligence in V2X

Vehicular communications integrated with the radio access network (RAN) are envisioned as a breakthrough application for the evolution of cellular networks, including both current fifth generation (5G) and future sixth generation (6G) systems. However, traditional RANs face challenges in achieving the flexibility required to optimize sophisticated control mechanisms and enhance performance metrics, such as latency and reliability, to meet the diverse and demanding requirements of the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) environment. In contrast, the features of Open RAN (O-RAN) support advanced use cases, as its core paradigms provide an ideal framework for orchestrating vehicular communication. Although the high potential stemming from their integration can be easily seen and recognized, the effective combination of the two ecosystems is an open issue. Conceptual and architectural advances are mandatory for O-RAN to be capable of facilitating network intelligence in V2X. In this work, we introduce mobi-O-RAN, a technological proposition pioneering the integration of the two strategies for seamlessly incorporating V2X control within O-RAN’s ecosystem. First, mobi-O-RAN’s architecture is proposed and discussed. Then, a set of key V2X challenges is identified, and mobi-O-RAN-based solutions are proposed, paired with extensive numerical analysis to support their effectiveness. While our study primarily focuses on 5G NR V2X, we also highlight how mobi-O-RAN can serve as a foundation for future 6G vehicular networks, leveraging its programmability and network intelligence capabilities. Results prove the improved performance of mobi-O-RAN in terms of raw throughput, network resilience, and control overhead. Our results validate the proposed enabling architecture and confirm the potential of mobi-O-RAN in support of V2X communications.