The phrases “repeatability” and “reproducibility” are sometimes interchangeably used. However in O-RAN testing, they aren’t one and the identical
The enterprise case for Open Radio Entry Community (O-RAN) adoption begins with breaking down vendor monopolies — a technique that successfully lowers prices and introduces extra decisions for carriers.
Open interfaces and disaggregated parts within the O-RAN structure supply advantages like better flexibility, enhanced scalability, and improved community intelligence by way of integration of AI. This provides operators a high-performing, energy-efficient community, however extra importantly, one which serves as a strong basis for Business 4.0 digital transformation.
The Open Testing and Integration Facilities (OTIC) — an O-RAN Alliance initiative — offers open, vendor-agnostic labs for conformance, interoperability, and end-to-end testing of the multi-vendor O-RAN merchandise and options. The labs cut back upfront investments for operators whereas opening entry to carrier-grade testing to small companies and tutorial institutes with restricted sources.
“One of many tenets is, to truly have this community of labs that may offload a few of the baseline testing from operators, to make the enterprise case for O-RAN positively quite a bit higher,” Ian Wong, director of RF and Wi-fi Structure, Viavi, stated throughout a session on the i14y Lab Summit 2025.
Nonetheless, the upsides that make O-RAN an interesting know-how additionally current a slew of testing challenges. Testing is supposed to confirm that multi-vendor parts are suitable, specs conformant, and instruments safe and performing. The method is inherently complicated — made particularly difficult by vendor variety, variability of check processes and workflows, and infrastructural inconsistency between the labs.
The RAN Clever Controller (RIC) utility is an effective instance of this. The RIC comes with excessive variability and sensitivity in the direction of totally different settings. Take a look at outcomes from small topologies learn in another way from these from huge topologies, making the information unreliable.
Having repeatable testing workflows in place which might be reproducible throughout labs permits operators to belief open labs like OTIC to do the baseline testing on their behalf, and trust within the outcomes.
Repeatability vs Reproducibility
So what’s the distinction between repeatable and reproducible assessments?
“Repeatability means you do a check and you retain on doing the check and also you get constant outcome. So consistency is a attribute of repeatable assessments,” defined Wong.
In different phrases, readings from a number of assessments carried out below equivalent situations present the very same values. This excessive repeatability signifies that the check instruments and strategies used are constant and dependable.
Reproducibility however is when totally different teams run the identical check in several labs with totally different units of instruments and nonetheless acquire equivalent outcomes. For instance, if a tool below check (DUT) reveals comparable readings in two or extra lab settings, it demonstrates reproducibility.
The outcomes are “constant throughout totally different check strains and throughout totally different labs,” Wong emphasised. It’s key to ascertain accuracy of the metrics.
However, whereas reproducibility is a key measure of reliability in O-RAN testing, in actuality, its quite a bit more durable to realize.
“Each lab has their very own infrastructure, they’ve their very own check techniques, they’ve their very own processes. It a lot more durable to get to reproducible. However reproducible is what the business wants,” he stated.
Variabilities just like the efficiency of the core community, lack of readability in check plans, hole in info sharing between groups, and check gear in use, can affect the outcomes.
Wong has an answer. “To essentially have a check be reproducible, we will’t implement each lab on this planet to make use of the identical core or core emulator. So it’s essential be sure the parts within the check surroundings doesn’t have an effect on the check outcomes.”
Viavi’s NTIA-backed VALOR check suite is barely one of many many choices accessible for testing Open RAN initiatives. Rohde & Schwarz, Keysight, Spirent are different key suppliers whose options and providers are serving to labs obtain this repeatability and reproducibility in testing.
Conclusion
As totally different as their meanings are, each repeatable and reproducible assessments are essential for the business success of O-RAN. They inform an operator if the outcomes are true, or resulting from probability. If repeatable, the assessments set up accuracy and reliability of the information, and if reproducible, the readings grow to be relevant to broader contexts.
