CARL-W: a Testbed for Empirical Analyses of 5G and Starlink Performance

The deployment of 5G networks, including 5G Non-Public Networks (5G-NPNs) for private use in several verticals, is rapidly taking place worldwide. However, deploying these networks in under-served areas, where there may be limited Internet access or backhauling capabilities, presents challenges. To address these challenges, there is a growing interest in using Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, such as SpaceX's Starlink, which can provide high-throughput and low-latency Internet access via dense satellite constellations. In this paper, we present CARL-W, the Wireless module of the Communications Advanced Research Laboratory (CARL) at Karlstad University, which combines a 5G-NPN and a Starlink deployment. CARL-W serves as a platform for empirical analyses on both systems, thus contributing towards the study of their possible integration. In particular, we outline the CARL-W experimentation framework and provide access to the CARL-W visualization and data exporting platform. We also open-source a 1-month Starlink dataset, facilitating further analyses of this relatively new technology.当前，全球5G网络部署正快速推进，其中涵盖面向多个垂直行业的专用5G非公共网络（5G Non-Public Networks, 5G-NPNs）。然而，在互联网接入或回传链路能力受限的服务欠发达区域部署此类网络，仍存在诸多挑战。为应对上述挑战，业界对采用低地轨道（Low Earth Orbit, LEO）卫星的方案关注度日益提升——例如太空探索技术公司（SpaceX）的星链（Starlink），这类卫星可通过密集星座提供高吞吐量、低延迟的互联网接入服务。本文提出卡尔施塔特大学通信先进研究实验室（Communications Advanced Research Laboratory, CARL）的无线模块CARL-W，该模块整合了5G-NPN与星链的部署架构。CARL-W可作为两大系统的实证分析平台，为二者的集成可行性研究提供重要支撑。具体而言，本文详述了CARL-W实验框架，并开放了CARL-W可视化与数据导出平台的访问权限。此外，本文还开源了一份为期1个月的星链数据集，以推动针对这项新兴技术的后续研究与分析。