Rimedo Labs – Traffic Steering xApp

As part of SD-RAN, Rimedo Labs implemented the Traffic Steering (TS) xApp with an aim to improve QoS for user data transmission. The TS xApp is responsible for deciding on UE placement in a specific cell using the handover procedure. The main difference between Rimedo’s TS xApp and a regular handover mechanism is that the former uses the policies defined by O-RAN Alliance to direct a specific UE based on multiple parameters. The policies can be determined per UE or per QoS indicator. The latter is represented by the 5QI to distinguish different types of services. The policies are stored in the TS xApp, but all of them are managed through the A1 interface represented by the A1 Termination (A1T) component of the SD-RAN environment, which was developed during the work along with the integration of TS xApp. The policies define preferences for a particular UEs to assign the connection to the best possible cell and avoid being connected to non-suitable cells. The A1 Interface is implemented based on O-RAN Alliance specifications to comply with the standard.