North American OTIC in Central Iowa (ARA)
ARA OTIC is led by the Center for Wireless, Communities, and Innovation (WiCI) at Iowa State University. Utilizing the first-of-its-kind real-world living lab ARA PAWR, it features at-scale, field-deployed wireless access and x-haul platforms (e.g., high-capacity x-haul platforms from 11 GHz to 194 THz, SDR and COTS access platforms across low-band, mid-band, and high-band), satellite communications platforms, edge and cloud resources, and an indoor sandbox.
Besides standard OTIC services, ARA champions end-to-end, whole-stack open-source O-RAN innovation, and it enables unique experiments in diverse agriculture and rural settings and with cutting-edge applications involving automated ground and aerial vehicles, sensors etc.
ARA OTIC offers comprehensive O-RAN testing and integration services, both indoors and outdoors. Our indoor sandbox supports interface and functional testing, while our unique outdoor platform enables real-world performance evaluation. Built on open-source software, SDRs, and programmable COTS platforms, our flexible testbed allows in-person or remote testing. We support bring-your-own-device testing with standardized interfaces. Our FCC Innovation Zone covers various frequency bands, including TVWS, sub-7GHz, and mmWave. ARA OTIC provides interoperability, conformance, and end-to-end systems testing, ensuring thorough evaluation of O-RAN technologies in both laboratory and real-world environments.
