Modular virtual digital twin enables safe testing of O-RAN control apps
ONDT: A Modular and Virtualized O-RAN Digital Twin for xApp/rApp Closed-Loop Experimentatio
Networking and Internet Architecture
Summary
Cellular networks are becoming more programmable through systems called O-RAN, which use AI apps to improve network performance automatically. Testing these AI control apps in real networks is risky and costly. To solve this, the authors created a digital twin called ONDT that simulates the network environment in the cloud, letting developers safely test their control apps in a repeatable way. The system works with existing O-RAN controllers and lets users automate many testing steps for better validation without affecting live networks.
What this means in practice
- •For telecom network operators: Safely test and validate automated control apps on virtualized O-RAN without risking live cellular networks.
- •For cloud infrastructure engineers: Develop cloud-native platforms that integrate O-RAN digital twins to enable scalable network experimentation environments.
Authors
Miguel Catalan-Cid, Joan Josep Aleixendri, August Betzler, George Oikonomou, Lydia Ntzogani, David Reiss
Abstract
Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architectures extend programmability in next-generation cellular networks through Near-Real-Time and Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controllers (RICs), enabling AI/ML-driven xApps and rApps to optimize network behavior dynamically. However, validating automated closed-loop control algorithms in live environments presents significant operational risks and deployment costs. To address this challenge, this paper introduces the O-RAN Digital Twin (ONDT), a modular, virtualized, and cloud-native experimentation framework developed as a 6G enabler within the SNS SUNRISE-6G project. We present the ONDT architecture and its end-to-end experimentation workflows, showing how the framework automates O-RAN-compliant rApp/xApp onboarding, RAN scenario configuration and initialization, Key Performance Metric (KPM) collection, and closed-loop control validation. Experimental validation using Juniper RIC platforms and the Keysight RICtest emulation framework demonstrates ONDT ability to provide an isolated and reproducible environment for KPM monitoring, cell ON/OFF control, automated dataset generation, and rApp/xApp validation.