AmpliTech, Northeastern Demonstrate First Open-Source Massive MIMO O-RAN

Collaboration validates commercial-grade 5G radio in end-to-end open-source stack, unlocking new possibilities for next-gen networks.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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AmpliTech Group and researchers at Northeastern University's Institute for Intelligent Networked Systems (INSI) have successfully demonstrated the first open-source prototype of a massive MIMO (mMIMO) O-RAN system achieving O-RAN Category B operation in a laboratory environment. The demonstration integrated AmpliTech's commercial-grade mMIMO Category B radio unit with the OpenAirInterface (OAI) CU/DU stack, marking the first time a full, end-to-end massive MIMO O-RAN system has been assembled entirely from open, interoperable components.

Why it matters

Massive MIMO systems have historically required tightly integrated, vendor-specific implementations. This demonstration challenges that assumption by showing the full stack, from the physical layer up through the RAN control plane, can be assembled from open, interoperable components, with no reliance on proprietary, closed solutions. Achieving O-RAN Category B, the technically demanding fronthaul interface that enables massive MIMO at scale, marks a significant milestone for open-source RAN.

The details

The demonstration combined AmpliTech's mMIMO O-RAN Category B radio unit with OAI's CU/DU into a single cohesive, standards-compliant platform. The INSI team showcased hybrid beamforming capabilities with a 2-layer MIMO configuration, demonstrating sustained throughput under mobility conditions with proper beam management. Critically, it validates that AmpliTech's radio unit, designed for commercial deployment, can operate at full performance within a fully open, multi-vendor stack.

  • The demonstration took place on February 25, 2026.

The players

AmpliTech Group, Inc.

A company that designs, develops, and manufactures advanced RF and microwave signal-processing components and systems for satellite, 5G/6G telecom, quantum computing, defense, and space applications.

Northeastern University's Institute for Intelligent Networked Systems (INSI)

A leading research and innovation hub focused on wireless systems, Open RAN, and next-generation 5G/6G networks.

OpenAirInterface Software Alliance (OSA)

A non-profit organization developing open-source software implementations of 3GPP standards for 5G and 6G cellular networks.

Tommaso Melodia

Director of the Institute for Intelligent Networked Systems and William Lincoln Smith Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University.

Irfan Ghauri

Director of Operations at the OpenAirInterface Software Alliance.

Fawad Maqbool

CEO and CTO of AmpliTech Group.

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What they’re saying

“This is a significant step toward making Massive MIMO Open RAN a practical reality rather than a research ambition. Demonstrating that AmpliTech's commercial massive MIMO radio integrates seamlessly into a fully open-source stack opens entirely new possibilities for how next-generation networks are designed, deployed, and optimized without locking operators into proprietary ecosystems.”

— Tommaso Melodia, Director, Institute for Intelligent Networked Systems, and William Lincoln Smith Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University (stocktitan.net)

“The O-RAN 7.2 Category B is the interface that truly unlocks massive MIMO at scale, and achieving it with an open-source stack has been a long-standing goal for our community. This demonstration with Northeastern and AmpliTech is exactly the kind of end-to-end validation that turns open-source software from a research tool into a credible foundation for commercial deployment. It shows that openness and high-performance massive MIMO are not in conflict, they are fully compatible.”

— Irfan Ghauri, Director of Operations, OpenAirInterface Software Alliance (stocktitan.net)

“This demonstration is a critical milestone for AmpliTech and for the Open RAN ecosystem. Seeing our 64T64R Category B radio operate end-to-end within a fully open-source stack at Northeastern proves that high-capacity massive MIMO and true multi-vendor openness are no longer in tension. This is the kind of validation that gives operators the confidence to deploy Open RAN at scale, and it demonstrates AmpliTech's commitment to building radios that work in real, disaggregated environments, not just proprietary lab conditions.”

— Fawad Maqbool, CEO and CTO, AmpliTech Group (stocktitan.net)

What’s next

The INSI team led the system integration, testbed configuration, and validation measurements, providing a reproducible reference implementation that academic and industry researchers can build upon. The open-source nature of the demonstration means the architecture can be studied, replicated, and extended, accelerating adoption across the research and operator communities.

The takeaway

This demonstration marks a significant milestone in the development of open, interoperable massive MIMO systems for 5G and 6G networks, challenging the traditional reliance on proprietary, vendor-specific implementations and paving the way for more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective deployments of next-generation wireless infrastructure.