Open5GBox: A Fully Deployable Open-Source Platform for 5G Standalone With Integrated Radio Access and Core Network Functions

Abstract

Advancing open, cost-effective, and standards-compliant 5G standalone (SA) platforms is essential for reproducible experimentation, rapid prototyping, and applied research with direct relevance to real-world deployments and industrial-scale testing. This paper presents Open5GBox, a fully deployable and open-source platform for 5G SA networks that integrates the radio access network (RAN) and core network (CN) functions using only commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and open-source software. The system combines srsRAN and Open5GS stacks into a modular architecture that supports both embedded and general-purpose compute platforms, including deployments on Raspberry Pi 5 and x86-based systems. The RAN and CN components can be decoupled and securely interconnected via a WireGuard virtual private network, enabling scalable, real-world 5G SA experimentation. Extensive experimental validation is performed across five deployment configurations, evaluating key performance indicators such as throughput (up to 212 Mbps on downlink (DL), 97 Mbps on uplink (UL)), with average latency of approximately 30 ms, jitter consistently under 5 ms, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), channel quality indicator (CQI), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) under various bandwidths (20/40/60 MHz). The system supports voice over new radio (VoNR) session continuity and intra-system mobility, and complies with 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) emission masks, as confirmed by spectrum analysis. Results demonstrate that Open5GBox enables reproducible, standards-compliant, and portable 5G SA deployments and bridge the gap between simulation-based testbeds and real-world 5G SA experimentation, offering a low-cost, open, and scalable platform for next-generation wireless systems.