OpenAirInterface

"The OpenAirInterface^TM Software Alliance (OSA) is a non-profit consortium to develop ecosystem for open source software/hardware development for the core network (EPC) and both access network and user equipment (EUTRAN) of 3GPP cellular networks. The Alliance sponsors the initial work of EURECOM to create OpenAirInterface^TM towards development of 5G Cellular Stack on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.

The current generation of hardware/software for radio access network (RAN) consist of large numbers of proprietary elements that stifle innovation and increase the cost for the operators to deploy new services/application in an ever-changing fast paced cellular networks. Open source software running on general purpose processors (such as x86, ARM) can greatly simplify network access, reduce cost, increase flexibility, improve innovation speed and accelerate time-to-market for introduction of new services.There is already a movement going on within the industry on the development of Software Defined Networking (SDN) concepts to open the proprietary interfaces to control the RAN hardware/software. At the same time, open-source has made a very significant impact in the extremities of current networks, namely in the terminals due to the Android ecosystem and in cloud infrastructure due, in part, to the OpenStack ecosystem. We believe an open source implementation of fully real-time stack (eNB, UE and core network) on general purpose processors when combined with SDN, Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and OpenStack and bring significant efficiency in RAN design from both innovation and cost perspective.

OSA currently provides a standard-compliant implementation of a subset of Release 10 LTE for UE, eNB, MME, HSS, SGw and PGw on standard Linux-based computing equipment (Intel x86 PC/ARM architectures). The software is freely distributed by the Alliance under the terms stipulated by the OSA license model. It  can be used in conjunction with standard RF laboratory equipment available in many labs (i.e. National Instruments/Ettus USRP and PXIe platforms) in addition to custom RF hardware provided by EURECOM to implement these functions to a sufficient degree to allow for real-time interoperation with commercial devices. Some industrial users have already been working on OpenAirInterface^TM (OAI)-based systems integrated with commercially-deployable remote radio-head equipment and have provided demonstrations at major industrial tradeshows (Mobile World Congress Asia 2014, Mobile World Congress Barcelona in 2013, IMIC 2013). The primary future objective is to provide an open-source reference implementation which follows the 3GPP standardization process starting from Rel-13 and the evolutionary path towards 5G and that is freely-available for experimentation on commodity laboratory equipment."

http://www.openairinterface.org/

https://archive.fosdem.org/2016/schedule/event/oai/