Release 1: An Open-Source Operator Platform for Telco Cloud Federation and 6G Experimentation

We are pleased to announce Release 1 of the ETSI Software Development Group OpenOP (Open Operator Platform). OpenOP is an open-source framework designed to enable network operators, vendors, SMEs, research institutions, and developers to federate networks and testbeds, while exposing capabilities through developer-friendly CAMARA Network APIs.

We are honored to have the support of a growing list of members and participants, including major industry players such as BT Group, Orange Romania, OTE and Altice Portugal. Building upon the EU-funded SNS-JU flagship project SUNRISE-6G, OpenOP aims to bridge European 6G research with industry standardization efforts, and is effectively already doing so with 8 projects listed in its Research Ecosystem.

OpenOP Release 1 represents an early milestone for the platform and is primarily intended for experimentation, integration testing, and community feedback. While the core architecture and components are now available, the platform will continue to evolve and be hardened as new capabilities are added and refined by the community.

What Release 1 delivers

Release 1 delivers the first working foundation of the OpenOP vision. In this initial release, users can explore a modular open-source platform that brings together early federation capabilities, standards-based telecom capability exposure through selected CAMARA APIs, application lifecycle management for edge cloud deployment, an AI-native interface for interacting with platform APIs, and a web portal for accessing these capabilities through a graphical interface.

ℹ Release 1 is intended as an experimental baseline for hands-on evaluation and integration.

Architecture & Technical Foundations

OpenOP is designed as a modular platform where multiple components work together to expose telecom capabilities, deploy applications, and coordinate services across edge cloud environments. Release 1 introduces our foundational architecture.

While these open-source components are still being refined, they represent the core of the OpenOP vision:

Federation Manager (Federation Functions)

The FM enables coordination across multiple operator domains and edge environments. It provides mechanisms for discovering resources, exchanging federation information, and enabling cross-domain service deployment in multi-operator scenarios, aligned with the GSMA Operator Platform Group (OPG) Eastbound and Westbound Interface APIs for inter-operator federation.

Open Exposure Gateway (OEG)

The OEG acts as the platform’s API gateway for exposing telecom network capabilities and edge cloud resources to external applications. It implements standards-based interfaces, including CAMARA APIs, enabling developers to access network functions, edge services, and platform capabilities through a unified API layer.

Service Resource Manager (SRM)

The SRM is responsible for managing the lifecycle of applications deployed through the platform. It orchestrates application deployment across edge cloud zones and coordinates with underlying cloud and network infrastructure, including interacting with components such as the Network Exposure Function (NEF).

Transformation Function SDK

This SDK provides the framework for building technology-specific adapters that implement the platform’s Southbound Interfaces. These translate technology-agnostic platform requests into the native APIs of the underlying infrastructure. This allows OpenOP to remain infrastructure-agnostic while supporting different edge cloud and network technologies such as Kubernetes, i2Edge, or EURECOM’s NEF APIs.

AI Module (AI²)

This module introduces an AI-native interface to the platform, allowing operators and developers to perform platform operations using natural language. The module includes an MCP server that exposes CAMARA APIs as callable tools for AI agents, together with a lightweight agent backend that interprets user intent and translates it into the corresponding platform API operations.

Portal

The Portal is a web-based interface that allows operators, developers, and application providers to interact with the platform through an intuitive graphical interface. The Portal connects to the Open Exposure Gateway (OEG) and provides tools for exploring CAMARA APIs, managing application profiles, deploying applications to edge cloud zones, monitoring their status, and managing federation requests across operator domains.

What You Can Try with Release 1

Our current technical focus is on enabling experimentation with network capability exposure and edge application deployment. In this release, developers and operators can explore the following platform capabilities:

• Deploy the full platform locally on KIND using the Helm-based deployment flow
• Run the application onboarding quick start by discovering an Edge Cloud zone, registering and instantiations applications
• Create, retrieve, and delete QoD (Quality on Demand) sessions through the Open Exposure Gateway, and verify the effect through the documented workflow.
• Try AI² as a natural-language interface for selected platform operations, including a documented QoD interaction flow.
• Explore early federation workflows for partner creation and accepted availability zones in setups where the required federation prerequisites are present.

Integrations

Given the experimental nature of the platform, we have prioritized integrations that allow developers to test platform capabilities without requiring a full telecom network deployment. This release includes early integration with the EURECOM NEF & Core Simulator, which abstracts away underlying network complexity so developers can test capability exposure without needing a perfect physical setup.

How to Get Started

We have documented the initial steps to get started, whether you want to deploy a local instance or simply explore the APIs.

• Start from the Architecture Overview to understand the platform structure and main components.
• Follow Deploy on KIND and Kubernetes to set up a local instance with the provided Helm deployment flow.
• Use the Using the Platform Quick Start to interact with the Operator Platform via the supported end-to-end workflows

Want to Learn More?

• Explore the Documentation: https://oop.etsi.org/documentation/
• Access the Code: https://labs.etsi.org/rep/oop/code
• Stay Updated: Follow the SDG OpenOP LinkedIn and YouTube pages for regular updates.

Get Involved

Because the platform is in its early stages, community feedback is more critical than ever. We strongly encourage developers, researchers, and early adopters to get involved. By testing the platform, reporting bugs, and contributing code, you can directly shape the stability and future of OpenOP.

Learn how to join SDG OpenOP, it’s easy and free¹! 🎉

Contact

Questions about ETSI, joining OOP, this and future events can be sent to: SDGsupport@etsi.org