# On Deploying the Internet of Energy with 5G Open RAN Technology including Beamforming Mechanism
## 3 Open RAN for Flexible Development of 5G Networks
Message segmentation, packet sequence, and segment offset are also handled by this protocol; (2) the Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol, which is responsible for the functioning of the transport channels including multiplex/demultiplex, in-band monitoring, error acknowledgment, and error coding (HARQ mechanism), prioritization and random access procedures, including contention-based random access or contention-free random access; and (3) physical layer, which converts the information in electrical signal modulated by the sub-carrier [21; 23; 24; 25]. In addition to F1, Open RAN architecture defines another interface on the side of the Distributed Unit. The 7-2x split variant separates the lower Physical Layer baseband processing and radio frequency front-end from the other functionalities of the Distributed Unit. Physical baseband and radio front-end are carried out in the so-called Open Radio Unit (O-RU), whereas the other functions are carried out in the Open Distributed Unit (O-DU). There are two categories of O-RU: A and B. In O-RU category A, the pre-coding tasks are not carried out in the O-RU and they are executed by the O-DU. In this case, precoding is separate from Cyclic-prefix control, Fourier conversion (Fast-Fourier Transform), and beamforming. The advantage, in this case, is that the O-RU is simpler, however, this option limits the reaction time of the beamforming mechanism. The O-RU category B includes also pre-coding, which allows selecting the parameters of the code together with the configuration of the beamforming. Both mechanisms, working together, allow the O-RU to adapt to the state of the radio interface. The last element of the O-RAN architecture is related to the Operations and Management system (OAM). O-RAN defines the Service Management and Orchestration (SMO), which includes some more functions than the typical OAM. The new functionalities are the Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security (FCAPS) in the RAN connected to the Network Functions, the Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller, and the management and Orchestration of the Cloud where the SMO is installed. Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller and Near-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller; both are directed to optimize the Radio Access Network working on Open RAN. The former implements operations (management of RAN) with intervals longer than 1 s, whereas the latter implements management with intervals between 10 ms and 1 s. Both of them are supposed to use advanced mechanisms and algorithms (such as Machine Learning) for improving the efficiency of RAN management [26]. Even if most of the aspects of the Open RAN implementation are economic, there are some technical issues that should be solved for the integration of IoE applications. One of them is the use of beamforming in Open RAN, which is limited for critical applications. Taking into account that IoE may develop applications in critical energy plants, a valid solution of beamforming capable of transferring data from a large number of sensors should be required. This has not been solved yet in current Open RAN solutions and we propose in the next section a solution for the development of the beamforming in Open RAN.