Features – INDIGO

The Roadmap

The INDIGO project aims to enhance the security, adaptability, and resilience of 5G networks for the Department of Defense (DoD) and Public Safety during crises. Financial Sustainability beyond the Phase 2 period of performance is planned via a three-pronged approach:

Build on standards for interoperability & industry adaption;
Develop minimum viable prototype (MVP) that uses established Labs & commercial products;
Anchoring new components in private & industry funding.

Scroll below to read more about the envisioned architecture of INDIGO, or click the button below to jump to information about the features included in INDIGO.

What is INDIGO?

INDIGO utilizes a series of interconnected O-RAN components and rApps, including the Mission Manager, which acts as the primary interface for planning and operations. This system detects network anomalies in real-time and responds proactively by enabling users to create mission-specific network slices. These slices are tailored to maintain and restore communication in designated areas, especially where critical responses are needed. Security and resilience settings are adjustable, allowing for high flexibility and customization based on the severity and nature of the disaster. The entire process is backed by AI, which supports decision-making and optimizes network configurations for maximum efficiency and reliability. INDIGO not only promises rapid recovery and continuous service but also adapts to evolving conditions, ensuring that every response is as effective as possible.

ABSTRACT

The INDIGO project restores and ensures 5G communications in combat situations or civilian disasters by introducing intelligence, cooperation, and automation, beyond existing 5GS roaming agreements. Additionally, INDIGO works by integrating and orchestrating 5G / “All G” and Contemporary / Open RAN to flow-through provisioning of cooperative networks in minutes.
Multi-operator orchestration refers to the automated management and coordination of various network functions and services across multiple service providers or operators, multiple technology domains, multiple cloud environments and multiple vendors.
Telecommunications networks are becoming increasingly complex, with the integration of multiple technologies, such as 5G, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), which require a high level of automation and coordination. Orchestration provides a centralized and automated approach to managing these networks, enabling the deployment, configuration, and optimization of services and resources across multiple domains and platforms.

ARCHITECTURE

INDIGO ensures resilient and adaptive connectivity by coordinating multiple operator networks.

Key components include the AI planner and Multipath Resilience, which use the O-RAN R1 interface for network topology and ordering. Each operator’s Service Management Orchestrator (SMO) automates management, orchestration, and information tasks within their domain, covering RAN, Core, Transport, Orchestration, Network Management, and Service Management. These networks’ services, slices, and resources are made available by each operator’s SMO to higher layer entities.

The Multi-Operator SMO (MO-SMO) interfaces with each operator SMO via TMF APIs, providing a northbound API for AI Planner and Multipath provisioning requests over the R1 interface. INDIGO uses TM Forum Open APIs between the MO-SMO and SMO, a set of over 60 REST-based APIs standard in the industry for service/slice catalogs, ordering, configuration, and inventory. The team aims to enhance these APIs by incorporating standard models from organizations like 3GPP and O-RAN.

The MO-SMO employs the O-RAN R1 interface between the MO-SMO and INDIGO applications, such as the AI Planner and Multipath.

MULTI-OPERATOR SMO

The Multi-Operator SMO (MO-SMO) manages and coordinates various network functions, services, and resources, such as virtual machines, containers, and applications, across multiple service providers, technology domains, cloud environments, and vendors. Instead of directly controlling resources, the MO-SMO requests resource operations and usage as exposed by operators, using standards like TMF 639 for inventory and 640 for activation. While based on the O-RAN SMO definition and specifications, the MO-SMO goes beyond domain-specific definitions.

Coordination across multiple operator networks is achieved through a hierarchical approach. Each network operator uses automated management capabilities to function as a SMO for their network, offering services, slices, and resources to higher layer entities. The Multi-Operator SMO then integrates these offerings, acting as a SMO of SMOs.

The INDIGO project extensively uses TMF APIs to integrate MO-SMO and SO-SMO instances and expose MO-SMO services. INDIGO team members have successfully demonstrated these interfaces in TMF Catalyst and O-RAN PlugFest activities. The team aims to further advance these APIs by mapping standard models from organizations like 3GPP and O-RAN into these APIs. Refer to the open industry standards section below for a list of TMF APIs being considered.

ADVANCING OPEN INDUSTRY STANDARDS

Several standards can implement the multi-operator SMO to single operator SMO interoperability, including the 3GPP SMBA standards (TS/TR 28.5xx series), GSMA, TMF, and O-RAN SMO. These standards are at different stages of industry definition and maturity, with some offering partial or niche information, best used in combination with others.

For the INDIGO Phase 2 scope, the O-RAN R1 interface, emerging O-RAN standards (DME and SME), TMF APIs, and emerging CAMARA APIs are most relevant. Currently, TMF APIs are the most mature and supported by many operators.

Given their maturity and commercial support, INDIGO Phase 2 primarily uses TMF APIs between the MO-SMO and SO-SMO. INDIGO may incorporate additional standardized APIs as needed and provide feedback to standards communities where existing APIs may be inadequate.

rAPPS

rApps are being developed to run on the Multi-Operator SMO’s Non-Real-Time RIC to realize different RAN automation and management use cases, with control loops on a timescale of one second or longer.

Mission rApp creates the ability to send/receive and manage data from both human experts and relevant systems – this is the first step in mapping mission objectives and application needs to network objectives and providing system integrations at the onset and then adapting dynamically as the situation unfolds. The AI Planner interacts with the Multi-Operator SMO via the Mission rApp.

Resilience rApp creates the ability to measure and manage resilience and/or to recommend work-rounds during multiple failure scenarios and events that are highly unlikely to happen but that would have severe consequences if they did. The Multipath capability interacts with the Multi-Operator SMO via the Resilience rApp

Security rApp demonstrates the ability to containerize NIST Zero-Trust capabilities that may be implemented as 3rd party rApps and onboarded quickly, whether from commercial partners or from other Track G Phase 2 project teams.