Installing srsRAN 4G (via PPA or source)

1. Quick Install via PPA (Ubuntu)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:srsran/ppa
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y srsran

Check the install:

srsenb --version

2. Building from Source

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y git cmake build-essential libfftw3-dev libmbedtls-dev \
  libboost-program-options-dev libconfig++-dev libsctp-dev \
  libuhd-dev libpcsclite-dev pkg-config python3 python3-pip

git clone https://github.com/srsran/srsRAN_Project.git
cd srsRAN_Project
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ../
make -j$(nproc)
sudo make install

3. Generate/Configure a SIM (IMSI, Ki, OPC)

To connect a real phone or software UE, you need a SIM whose parameters are known to the srsEPC core.

a. Generate a standard SIM profile

  • IMSI: unique identifier (e.g., 001010123456789)

  • Ki: 16-byte key (e.g., 00112233445566778899aabbccddeeff)

  • OPC: 16-byte operator key (e.g., 0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f10)

  • MSISDN (optional): virtual phone number

You can use an online generator (Free5GC SIM Generator), or generate random values:

# Generate a random IMSI
IMSI="001010$(shuf -i 100000000-999999999 -n 1)"
# Generate Ki and OPC keys
KI=$(openssl rand -hex 16)
OPC=$(openssl rand -hex 16)
echo "IMSI: $IMSI"
echo "KI:   $KI"
echo "OPC:  $OPC"

b. Add the subscriber to srsEPC

Open the subscriber config file, typically:

nano /etc/srsran/epc_user_db.csv

Or in your local folder: srsRAN_Project/config/user_db.csv

Sample entry:

IMSI,  Ki,                       OPC,                      MSISDN,     AMF,   SQN
001010123456789,00112233445566778899aabbccddeeff,0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f10,1234567890,8000,000000

Required fields: IMSI, Ki, OPC (others can be left as default if not needed).

4. Program a real SIM card (optional)

If you use a programmable SIM card (Sysmocom, MagicSIM, etc.):

  • Use pySIM (Python)

  • Run:

pysim-prog.py --ki $KI --opc $OPC --imsi $IMSI

(Adapt the command to your reader and card model.)

5. Start srsENB (eNodeB) and srsEPC (core)

In two terminals:

# Terminal 1 (eNodeB)
srsenb enb.conf

# Terminal 2 (EPC)
srsepc epc.conf

6. Test UE Attachment

  • Power on your phone (SIM inserted, β€œ4G/auto” network mode)

  • Check for detection in the logs

  • If needed, adjust the PLMN in enb.conf and epc.conf to match your SIM IMSI (e.g., MCC/MNC = 001/01)

Useful Docs