MONROE-SOPHIA — A software radio platform for mobile network measurement

SOPHIA is the software radio extension to the MONROE measurement and experimentation project. Under MONROE, fixed and mobile nodes for network measurement and experimentation have been distributed across 4 European countries. Each node provides a powerful platform for wireless systems analysis, consisting of a flexible PC and a number of mobile broadband modems connected to different operator networks. Through the SOPHIA project extension, MONROE nodes have been enhanced with software radio capabilities, greatly expanding the range of measurements and experiments which can be supported by the platform. This paper presents the SOPHIA project extension, describing the baseband and RF front-end hardware selected to enhance the MONROE nodes and outlining the software tools which can be leveraged by the new, enhanced platform. The capabilities of the SOPHIA-enhanced MONROE platform are illustrated using detailed performance measurements of LTE networks, obtained during Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, Spain.