O-RU (O-RAN Radio Unit)
Also known as: O-RAN Radio Unit
The O-RU is the O-RAN Alliance's disaggregated Radio Unit that hosts the low-PHY, RF and antenna functions, and connects to the O-DU over the Open Fronthaul interface (CUS-Plane, M-Plane, S-Plane). Because the O-RU sits at the physical edge and often ships from a different vendor than the O-DU, supply-chain integrity, secure boot and Open Fronthaul authentication are central to O-RAN WG11 requirements.
Categories: Radio Access Network
O-RU in context
The radio access network is the layer where mobile devices attach to the operator's infrastructure. Attacks in this layer include IMSI catching, rogue base stations, downgrade attacks and jamming, and defenses hinge on mutual authentication, integrity-protected signaling and Open RAN supply-chain hygiene.
To place O-RU in the wider telecom-security picture, review O-CU, O-DU, Open Fronthaul, O-Cloud, Cloud RAN and Fronthaul.
Related terms
Equipment
O-RAN units and RIC (O-RU, O-DU, O-CU, RIC, SMO)
Related topic hubs
- Diameter Security 4G/LTE Diameter threats across IPX/roaming and DEA defenses.
- Open RAN Security O-RAN xApp/rApp, E2/A1/O1 interfaces and RIC security.
More from the TelcoSec Glossary
Browse the full TelcoSec Glossary, the Ultimate Guide to Mobile Network Security, or the P1 Arsenal of telecom-security tools.