The xApp Store: A Framework for xApp Onboarding and Deployment in O-RAN
Philip Rodgers, Paul Harvey
TL;DR
This paper addresses the lack of a marketplace for O-RAN xApps by designing a prototype xApp Store on open-source O-RAN components. It introduces a manifest-based validation workflow, automated testing with a Pseudo-RIC, and deployment via a RICMON tool, providing end-to-end lifecycle support for xApps. Through a comparative study of open-source RICs and scenario simulations, it identifies standardization and ecosystem fragmentation as key barriers to production-grade deployment and offers concrete recommendations to bridge research prototypes and real networks. The work demonstrates that manifest-driven onboarding can streamline xApp integration, with passive KPI monitoring validated in a simulated environment, and it highlights the need for ecosystem collaboration and modernisation of RICs for broader adoption.
Abstract
5G and beyond mobile telecommunication networks are increasingly embracing software technologies in their operation and control, similar to what has powered the growth of the cloud. This is most recently seen in the radio access network (RAN). In this new approach, the RAN is increasingly controlled by software applications known as xApps, and opens the door to third party development of xApps bringing diversity to the ecosystem, similar to mobile phone apps. This model aligns closely with the controllers in the ITU-T architecture for autonomous networks, and provides a pathway towards autonomous operation in the RAN. Unfortunately, no marketplace to host or supply xApps currently exists. This work describes our experiences in leveraging open-source O-RAN implementations to design and develop an xApp store.