Distributed

A distributed deployment splits the gNB. The Central Unit and Distributed Unit run on Onyx Edge; the access point contains only the Radio Unit. The two connect over eCPRI fronthaul using the O-RAN 7.2x functional split.

Onyx Edge therefore hosts the 5G Core, the CU and the DU together in one appliance, with the radios pushed out to where coverage is needed.

What it looks like

CU and DU on Onyx Edge, RU in the AP, joined by eCPRI fronthaul. Each RU is still its own cell.

Each RU is still its own cell. A device crossing between two RUs performs a handover, exactly as in an integrated deployment. Removing that handover is what Super Cell adds, by putting an FHM in this same path.

Radio units

Every model in the 5g-access-points hardware family is an O-RAN RU. Their specification sheets describe them as O-RAN compliant Access Point, Option 7-2a Category A, and their network port is labeled Fronthaul.

Model	Placement	MIMO	Bands
G105	Indoor	4T4R	n48, n78 (n77 future)
G505	Outdoor	4T4R	n48, n78
G506	Outdoor	4T4R	n77, n78
G509-n26	Outdoor	2T2R	n26 (FDD)
G509-n28	Outdoor	2T2R	n28 (FDD)
G509-n41	Outdoor	4T4R	n41
G509-n79	Outdoor	4T4R	n79

The G509 family is the route to bands outside mid-band TDD. n26 and n28 are FDD and sub-GHz, so they propagate considerably further at correspondingly narrower channel bandwidths. See Private 5G Spectrum.

These are a per-cell choice, not a per-site one. Distributed cells can share a network with integrated gNB APs. The RUs use the CU and DU on Onyx Edge; an integrated AP brings its own and attaches to the same Core. Both appear in the same Onyx Portal.

Choose this when

• You need a band the integrated gNB family does not cover, particularly n26, n28, n41 or n79.
• Radios must sit where baseband cannot, for example distributed around a plant while the Edge stays in a comms room.
• The deployment will grow into Super Cell. Distributed is the foundation it builds on, so starting here avoids replacing hardware later.
• You are feeding a DAS head end, which takes RF from the radio layer.

Choose something else when

• One or two APs would cover the site and cabling is awkward. Fronthaul is stricter than backhaul, so Integrated is simpler.
• Devices cross RU boundaries mid-session. Distributed alone still hands over; add an FHM and use Super Cell.

What it costs

Hardware	Onyx RUs · Onyx Edge (Core + CU + DU)
Transport	eCPRI fronthaul, 10 Gbps SFP+ per RU. Fiber in practice: copper reaches only as far as a rack
Timing	IEEE 1588v2 PTP and SyncE across the fronthaul

Fronthaul is the real constraint. It carries far more than user traffic and is sensitive to latency and timing, so it dictates cable type, distance and switching in a way ordinary backhaul does not.

Design considerations

Fronthaul sets where radios can go. Plan cable routes before finalizing radio positions, not after. This is the most common source of late redesign.

Timing is part of the design. PTP and SyncE must reach every RU. TDD depends on frame alignment, and a radio that loses timing does not serve traffic.

Boundaries still exist. Splitting the gNB does not remove handover. Each RU remains its own cell until an FHM combines them.

One Edge, many radios. CU and DU are centralized, so capacity and policy are managed in one place rather than per AP.

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Related

• Super Cell: add an FHM and this becomes one logical cell
• Integrated: when the AP can be the whole gNB
• 5G Onyx Architecture Solution Brief