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The continuous increase in demanding for availability and ultra-reliability of low-latency and broadband wireless connections is instigating further research in the standardization of next-generation mobile systems. 6G networks, among other benefits, should offer global ubiquitous mobility thanks to the utilization of the Space segment as an intelligent yet autonomous ecosystem. In this framework, multi-layered networks will take charge of providing connectivity by implementing Cloud-Radio Access Network (C-RAN) functionalities on heterogeneous nodes distributed over aerial and orbital segments. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), High-Altitude Plat-forms (HAPs), and small satellites compose the Space ecosystem encompassing the 3D networks. Recently, a lot of interest has been raised about splitting operations to distribute baseband processing functionalities among such nodes to balance the computational load and reduce the power consumption. This work focuses on the hardware development of C-RAN physical (PHY-) layer operations to derive their computational and energy demand. More in detail, the 5G Downlink Shared Channel (DLSCH) and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) are first simulated in MATLAB environment to evaluate the variation of computational load depending on the selected splitting options and number of antennas available at transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) side. Then, the PHY-layer processing chain is software-implemented and the various splitting options are tested on low-cost processors, such as Raspberry Pi (RP) 3B+ and 4B. By overclocking the RPs, we compute the execution time and we derive the instruction count (IC) per program for each considered splitting option so to achieve the mega instructions per second (MIPS) for the expected processing time. Finally, by comparing the performance achieved by the employed RPs with that of Nvidia Jetson Nano (JN) processor used as benchmark, we shall discuss about size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C)... 

Optical network technology is one of the leading candidates for meeting the required backhaul transport layer latency and capacity requirements of 5G services. In addition, its physical layer programmability supports the execution of advanced methods that can improve 5G service reliability and SLA compliance in the face of equipment failure. While a number of such methods is addressed in the literature, including Virtual Network Function (VNF) fault-tolerant methods, a full proof of concept is yet to be reported.The study in this paper describes a testbed — along with its Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) capabilities — which is used to experimentally showcase the key functionalities that are required by VNF fault-tolerant methods. The testbed makes use of OpenROADM compliant Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) equipment to implement the programmable backhaul of a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) Non-standalone (NSA) architecture running 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) with the 5G next-generation NodeB (gNB). Specifically, the testbed is used to showcase the live migration of virtualized EPC components that is required to restore pre-failure VNF.