{"id":27,"date":"2025-07-15T12:54:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T12:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nia.ucd.ie\/?page_id=27"},"modified":"2025-07-15T14:47:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:47:47","slug":"open-ran-conflict-detection-prediction-mitigation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nia.ucd.ie\/?page_id=27","title":{"rendered":"Open RAN Conflict Detection, Prediction &amp; Mitigation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using AI and Game Theory in the Near-RT-RIC<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Network Intelligence and Automation Lab addresses a critical challenge in the evolution of Open RAN architecture: resolving runtime conflicts between control applications (xApps) within the Near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Near-RT-RIC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Open RAN promotes vendor-neutral innovation by decoupling software and hardware components in mobile networks. However, deploying independently developed xApps in a shared Near-RT-RIC environment introduces the risk of conflicting actions, which can impair Quality of Service (QoS), destabilize network performance, or cause unintended service disruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Contributions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Conflict Taxonomy<\/strong><br>We categorize conflict scenarios into direct, resource-based, and policy-driven types, providing a foundation for systematic resolution strategies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Game-Theoretic Models<\/strong><br>We apply non-cooperative game theory to model and analyze xApp interactions, enabling conflict resolution through rational, incentive-compatible mechanisms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>QACM Framework<\/strong><br>Our QoS-Aware Conflict Mitigation (QACM) framework dynamically manages xApp execution priorities based on QoS indicators and network state.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1109\/TGCN.2024.3431945\">Read the full paper in IEEE TGCN 2024<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Conflict Benchmarking<\/strong><br>We introduce benchmark scenarios to test and evaluate mitigation strategies in energy- and mobility-sensitive use cases.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2411.03326\">See preprint on arXiv 2025<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Publications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>IEEE iThings 2023<\/strong><br><em>Conflict Management in the Near-RT-RIC of Open RAN: A Game Theoretic Approach<\/em><br>Proposes a non-cooperative game-theoretic model to address runtime xApp conflicts in the Near-RT-RIC.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1109\/iThings-GreenCom-CPSCom-SmartData-Cybermatics60724.2023.00095\">Read the paper<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>IEEE TGCN 2024<\/strong><br><em>QACM: QoS-Aware xApp Conflict Mitigation in Open RAN<\/em><br>Introduces a QoS-driven framework to score and mitigate xApp conflicts based on real-time network conditions.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1109\/TGCN.2024.3431945\">Read the paper<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>arXiv 2025<\/strong><br><em>xApp-Level Conflict Mitigation in O-RAN, a Mobility Driven Energy Saving Case<\/em><br>Demonstrates the application of QACM in mobility scenarios involving energy-saving xApps.<br><a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2411.03326\">Read the preprint<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ongoing Research Directions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Integrating reinforcement learning for predictive conflict resolution and pre-emption<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Developing collaborative and multi-agent game-theoretic models for conflict-aware orchestration<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Deploying digital twin environments for testing and simulation of conflict scenarios<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Collaboration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We actively collaborate with industry partners and open-source communities, including the O-RAN Alliance and the O-RAN Software Community (OSC), to evaluate, refine, and implement our conflict mitigation approaches in real-world deployments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using AI and Game Theory in the Near-RT-RIC The Network Intelligence and Automation Lab addresses a critical challenge in the evolution of Open RAN architecture: resolving runtime conflicts between control applications (xApps) within the Near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Near-RT-RIC). Background Open RAN promotes vendor-neutral innovation by decoupling software and hardware components in mobile networks. However, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-27","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Open RAN Conflict Detection, Prediction &amp; Mitigation - Network Inteligence and Automation Lab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nia.ucd.ie\/?page_id=27\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Open RAN Conflict Detection, Prediction &amp; Mitigation - Network Inteligence and Automation Lab\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Using AI and Game Theory in the Near-RT-RIC The Network Intelligence and Automation Lab addresses a critical challenge in the evolution of Open RAN architecture: resolving runtime conflicts between control applications (xApps) within the Near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Near-RT-RIC). Background Open RAN promotes vendor-neutral innovation by decoupling software and hardware components in mobile networks. 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