Rimedo Labs and POWDER-led research demonstrates OCUDU across resilient open source RAN control, spectrum sensing, and over-the-air experimentation
Two papers accepted for publication and presentation at workshops associated with IEEE MILCOM 2026 highlight the growing role of the OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation’s OCUDU Technical Project as an open platform for advanced 5G/6G research, experimentation, and technology development.
The two papers represent complementary efforts from different parts of the wireless R&D ecosystem. The first, led by Rimedo Labs in collaboration with Keysight Technologies, demonstrates how a capability like advanced jamming-detection application can move from an O-RAN concept, through experimental verification using commercial test equipment, to an OCUDU deployment and ultimately to over-the-air testing using, in this case, the POWDER research infrastructure. The second, led by the POWDER team at the University of Utah, incorporates an OCUDU-based 5G system into POWDER-RDZ research focused on intelligent spectrum sensing and dynamic spectrum management.
Together, the papers demonstrate how OCUDU is being used not simply as an open source RAN implementation, but as a platform on which researchers can build, integrate, and validate new wireless use cases.
The Rimedo Labs-led paper, “Jamming Detection in 5G/6G Networks: From O-RAN Concept to OCUDU Deployment,” presents a proactive jamming-detection application designed to improve the resilience of 5G communications under intentional RF interference, and uses carrier-grade testing equipment from Keysight to verify it before deployment.
The application monitors Block Error Rate and responds to detected jamming by modifying Modulation and Coding Scheme behavior to improve link robustness and reduce retransmission-related latency. The work demonstrates how an application originally designed around the O-RAN xApp architecture can be transitioned to OCUDU while preserving the core detection and mitigation approach. The work was validated using Keysight Technologies test equipment before moving to over-the-air experimentation on POWDER at the University of Utah.
The Rimedo-led effort therefore demonstrates a full path from algorithm development, through validation using high-performance Keysight testing equipment, to OCUDU integration to over-the-air validation, with POWDER providing the research infrastructure needed to test the system in a realistic wireless environment.
A second paper accepted at the NRDZCOM8 workshop at IEEE MILCOM 2026 comes directly from the POWDER team at the University of Utah.
In “Towards Adaptable Data & Processing Pipelines for Spectrum Sensing and Intelligence in an RDZ,” POWDER researchers describe new capabilities in OpenZMS, an open source Zone Management System designed to support continuous spectrum sensing, intelligent RF monitoring, and dynamic spectrum management within Radio Dynamic Zones.
As part of testing the POWDER-RDZ deployment, an OCUDU-based 5G system operates as one of the active transmitters being monitored by the platform. The system uses an NI N310 radio with a 20 MHz spectrum allocation, while OpenZMS dynamically assigns RF monitoring tasks and successfully detects the OCUDU transmission as part of its spectrum-intelligence workflow.
This POWDER-led work highlights a different but complementary role for OCUDU. Rather than hosting a RAN control application, OCUDU becomes part of a broader experimental environment involving spectrum sensing, RF monitoring, propagation analysis, and dynamic spectrum management.
The two MILCOM workshop papers illustrate how OCUDU is supporting multiple independently- developed research use cases.
Together, they demonstrate an emerging ecosystem in which researchers, testbeds, technology companies, and equipment vendors can build around a common open source RAN platform.
As more use cases are developed, OCUDU can help create a continuing cycle of R&D collaboration, experimental validation, and new technology development, thus providing momentum for innovation across advanced 5G and emerging 6G systems.