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OpenFirst
Software Radio Systems
OpenFirst is the open-source Long Term Evolution (LTE) software-radio platform for first responders, providing a complete mobile broadband network reference implementation for research, prototyping, test and validation of LTE technologies for public safety communication. Building upon the proven success of the srsLTE suite of open-source software-radio libraries and applications, OpenFirst has the potential to significantly accelerate the development and deployment of public safety communication technologies.
Quick Resources
Meet the Team
Principle Investigator: Paul Sutton
Software Radio Systems Limited
Project Overview
The key objectives of OpenFirst are as follows:
- To provide an open-source end-to-end LTE network platform for public safety R&D.
- To create a reference implementation of key LTE features for first responders.
- To enable, support and grow the public safety broadband development ecosystem.
- To provide a commercialization path for public safety LTE using proven business models.
- These objectives will be achieved through the use of software radio technologies and an open-source software model by a company with a proven track record of delivering open, high-performance and user-friendly LTE applications and tools with a growing community of users and developers and a successful, sustainable business model for commercialization and deployment.
All of the software elements of the OpenFirst platform will be released under the widely-recognised and OSI approved open-source GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPLv3). By releasing the OpenFirst source code under this license, we provide the right to study, use, change and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. In this way, we ensure the dissemination of the technology and maximise its usability within a very large software radio development ecosystem, guaranteeing its availability for follow-on research and its long-term sustainability.
The impact of OpenFirst will be to transform the landscape of mobile broadband R&D for public safety. A complete, open-source end-to-end network reference implementation will be available through simple package installations on standard Linux operating systems, running on standard laptops and PCs. The SRS suite of software radio libraries and applications for LTE already has a thriving community of users and developers. By building upon these foundations, OpenFirst will tap into an existing ecosystem, ensuring broad use and wide engagement. As key public safety features are developed within the project, OpenFirst will enable and inspire the broader software radio community to focus on public safety communications and continue to innovate in this space. Proven development models, programming languages and deployment and collaboration tools will continue to be used within OpenFirst while tried-and-tested business models and governance structures will ensure continuity and long-term sustainability.