Build secure, programmable, and intelligent TN/NTN 5G/6G networks with BubbleRAN’s RIC-Sphere and SMO-Sphere.
From maritime and mission-critical operations to military and public safety networks, BubbleRAN gives you a compliant O-RAN control and automation stack that lets you design, deploy, optimize, secure, and evolve services across vendors, domains, and future releases.
BubbleRAN combines an interoperable Near-RT + Non-RT RIC with a declarative, intent-driven SMO, allowing operators, system integrators, vendors, and sovereign stakeholders to move from static network operations to programmable, automated, and increasingly autonomous networks without vendor lock-in.
The solution is designed to operate across heterogeneous terrestrial and non-terrestrial domains, where operators need more than connectivity. They need programmability, automation, security, and operational continuity and consistency.
O-RAN Reference Design solution
-
RIC + SMO stack
A full O-RAN-compliant control and orchestration layer based on Near-RT RIC, Non-RT RIC, and cloud-native SMO, aligned with O-RAN and 3GPP principles. -
xApp/rApp/Agent catalogs
Support for custom xApps, rApps, and AI/ML-driven control loops, with SDKs, CDKs, and reusable samples to accelerate use-case creation, validation, and integration. -
End-to-End Sandbox Environment
A repeatable sandbox for building, testing, and validating end-to-end O-RAN services, including network blueprints, multi-node deployment models, dynamic xApp/rApp lifecycle, legacy adaptation, and support for controlled experimentation before production rollout. -
Data lake and observability
Multi-source data lake, logs, traces, metrics, alarms, dashboards, and data exposure for analytics, SLA assurance, troubleshooting, and closed-loop optimization. -
Zero-trust security profile
Secure software supply chain, signed rootless artifacts, runtime process and network security controls, RBAC, SBOM-aware delivery, and network isolation across both network and process layers.
RIC-Sphere: the programmable brain of the network
RIC-Sphere combines a Near-RT RIC and a Non-RT RIC in one O-RAN-compliant platform. It enables:
- Near-RT control down to sub-millisecond latency for advanced use cases
- Non-RT policy, analytics, and AI/ML orchestration over A1 and R1
- Custom xApps/rApps in C, C++, and Python
- Legacy adaptation through Proxy-E2 Agent and its emulator
- Lab-to-production workflows with SDKs, CDKs, and reusable samples
SMO-Sphere: the management, operations, and automation of the network
SMO-Sphere is realized through Kubernetes-native declarative operators able to orchestrate and automate end-to-end network operations.
- Composition Models to define logical network functions without site-specific lock-in
- Blueprints to capture deployment intent, render, and reconcile network services
- NS Operator, Slice Operator, Service Operator, AI Fabric Operator, and Terminal Operator
- RU and GPU discovery, slice lifecycle, and multi-vendor NF onboarding
- Full Day 0, Day 1, and Day 2+ automation through CLI, API, GUI, and AI-agent extensibility
How RIC-Sphere and SMO-Sphere solve TN and NTN challenges
TN and NTN scenarios introduce more than coverage extension. They increase the complexity of coordination, mobility, service assurance, observability, and security across heterogeneous domains, transport conditions, and operational models. BubbleRAN addresses these challenges with a combined RIC + SMO architecture.
| Challenge in TN/NTN | How RIC-Sphere Helps | How SMO-Sphere Helps | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-network operations across terrestrial and non-terrestrial segments | Applies real-time and near-real-time policies at TN and NTN RAN domains using xApps and rApps | Defines homogeneous TN/NTN deployment blueprints and composition models, and automates end-to-end deployment and lifecycle | Consistent Day 0 to Day 2+ operations across domains |
| Mobility and service continuity for ships, vehicles, drones, temporary cells, and moving assets | Supports mobility load balancing, handover control, traffic steering, and policy-driven optimization | Automates neighbor relations, slice/service updates, and reconfiguration across sites and nodes | Better continuity, resilience, and QoS under mobility |
| Data lake and observability across networks | Exposes KPM, RC, CCC, LLC, and extended telemetry for detailed control and diagnosis | Aggregates logs, traces, metrics, alarms, infrastructure usage, and energy data into one operational view | Faster alarms, troubleshooting, and service assurance |
| Dynamic QoS, slicing, and policy enforcement | Enforces SLA/QoS/QoE and real-time resource control through xApps and rApps | Manages slice lifecycle, network services, and service-to-slice intent translation | Reliable multi-service assurance for critical users and applications |
| Security and sovereignty in sensitive environments | Enables policy-driven control through governed open interfaces | Applies zero-trust security profile, RBAC, signed artifacts, runtime protection, and network isolation | Secure operation from code to runtime |
| Fast rollout, reconfiguration, and upgrades | Powered by xApp/rApp SDKs, letting teams introduce new control logic without replacing the whole stack | Automates onboarding, deployment, upgrades, rollback, and Day 2+ operations | Faster and safer feature and service delivery |
| Brownfield and heterogeneous integration | Adapts legacy RAN through Proxy-E2 Agent and open interfaces | Onboards third-party NFs and interoperable multi-vendor services | Practical migration path instead of disruptive replacement |
Technical Foundations
RIC-Sphere
- Near-RT RIC with 300 µs to 1 ms control latency
- Non-RT RIC with 1–100 ms control latency
- Interfaces: E2AP v3.0, A1AP v4.04, R1AP
- O-RAN E2SMs: KPM, RC, CCC, LLC
- BubbleRAN E2SMs: TC, SC, LS
- Dev kits: xApp User SDK, xApp Developer SDK, rApp SDK
- Languages: C, C++, Python
- Data backends: VictoriaMetrics, VictoriaLogs, VictoriaTrace, optional MySQL/SQLite
SMO-Sphere
- Operation latency: Day 0 1–5 s, Day 1 1–30 s, Day 2+ 1–75 s
- Interfaces: Kubernetes CRDs, REST APIs, O1, RedFish
- Built-in operators for service, slice, AI fabric, digital twin, and terminal lifecycle
- Networking: Cilium, Multus, BGP
- Storage and observability: VictoriaMetrics, Rook, Ceph, Grafana
- Runtime environments: Vanilla Kubernetes, MicroK8s, GKE, RHEL OpenShift
FAQs
1️⃣ Why choose BubbleRAN instead of a closed O-RAN stack?
Because BubbleRAN gives you an open, programmable, and extensible stack with standard O-RAN interfaces, multi-vendor support, and reusable automation artifacts, so you can evolve your network without being boxed into one vendor’s roadmap.
2️⃣ What makes this future-ready?
The same stack already supports slicing, SLA assurance, mobility optimization, sensing, localization, and AI/ML-driven control, and it is designed to extend into future O-RAN and AI-RAN capabilities through reusable xApps, rApps, operators, and blueprints.
3️⃣ Can BubbleRAN support legacy and mixed-vendor environments?
Yes. RIC-Sphere includes a Proxy-E2 Agent for legacy adaptation, and SMO-Sphere is explicitly designed for brownfield and greenfield onboarding of third-party NFs, including multi-vendor RAN and CN.
4️⃣ How do you move toward autonomous networks?
BubbleRAN provides the building blocks:
- Real-time and non-real-time control
- Policy and slice orchestration
- AI/ML lifecycle support
- Multi-source data lake and observability
- Closed-loop automation through xApps, rApps, and service operators
That gives customers a practical upgrade from manual operation to AI-assisted and then increasingly autonomous network operations.
5️⃣ Why is BubbleRAN the right long-term partner?
Because BubbleRAN combines standards alignment, product depth, open ecosystem assets, deployment blueprints, SDKs, training, and partner enablement. It is designed to help customers deploy now, differentiate fast, and remain future-ready.