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5G/6G AcademyEst. 2009
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5G RAN Specialist — 5G certification courseWatch free

Free preview · From the radio picture to the radio grid — a bridge — opens in the course player

Intermediate

5G RAN Specialist

Decode the NR air interface, run a handover in your head, and dimension a real 5G RAN — from the resource grid and massive MIMO to CU/DU/RU splits, Open RAN, and KPIs.

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Every 5G & 6G course free for 7 days

Engineers in 150+ countries learn with TELCOMA — training telecom engineers since 2009

Lessons
31
Video
≈3.4h
Hands-on
7 exercises
Before you start
5G Foundation

About this course

Who it's for. Engineers moving into the radio access network.

Before you start. 5G Foundation, or equivalent working knowledge of 5G architecture

This course includes

  • 31 video lessons — the first needs no account, and all are free for your first 7 days
  • 7 hands-on exercises — interactive labs and checkpoints
  • Study pack — question bank and slides
  • A free mock exam to find your gaps
  • Certification exam and a QR-verifiable certificate — with Prime Membership or this certification

Skills you'll gain

  • NR numerology & frame structure
  • Bandwidth parts
  • SSB & random access
  • Massive MIMO & beamforming
  • CU/DU/RU splits & fronthaul
  • Open RAN & RIC
  • Handover & mobility events
  • Link budgets & RAN KPIs

Syllabus

7 modules · 31 lessons · certification exam

  1. Module 8 — NR Air Interface I: Structure

    Read the NR resource grid — from the radio picture you know to the time-frequency grid and how TDD shares it.

    1. From the radio picture to the radio grid — a bridgeWatch free7:42
    2. Numerologies & subcarrier spacing — why flexibility winsFree with an account8:09
    3. Frames, slots and the resource gridFree with an account7:38
    4. Bandwidth parts — the radio's gearboxFree with an account6:28
    5. TDD patterns in the real worldFree with an account6:55
    6. The Numerology Dial · Interactive lab~5 min
    7. Try it5G Numerology Planner

  2. Module 9 — NR Air Interface II: Access, Channels & the Stack

    Follow a UE from cell search through the access handshake and channels to a packet down the stack.

    1. SSB: how a phone finds a cellFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:46
    2. Random access: the four-step RACH handshakeFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:50
    3. The channel map: PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH — where control and data rideFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:50
    4. Link adaptation & HARQ in actionFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership7:18
    5. Reference signals: DMRS, CSI-RS, SRSFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership7:02
    6. The NR protocol stack: MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP — one packet's journeyFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:59
    7. Dimension the RACH · Interactive lab~4 min
    8. Try itCell Search ProcedurePRACH Config Index Lookup5G Random Access SimulatorDMRS Pattern VisualizerCSI-RS Configuration

  3. Module 10 — Massive MIMO & Beamforming

    Explain how antennas became 5G's biggest lever.

    1. Antenna arrays — where the gain comes fromFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership5:48
    2. Digital, analog, hybrid beamformingFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:51
    3. Beam management: sweep, refine, trackFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership5:55
    4. MU-MIMO: many users, same resourcesFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:36
    5. Lock the Beam · Checkpoint~5 min
    6. Try itSSB Beam Planner

  4. Module 11 — RAN Architecture & Splits

    Justify a CU/DU/RU design and its transport budget.

    1. The disaggregated gNB: CU, DU and RU — and where the split sitsFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:50
    2. F1, E1 and Xn — wiring the split gNB togetherFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership5:29
    3. Fronthaul: eCPRI and the latency budgetFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:03
    4. vRAN: the RAN becomes softwareFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:32
    5. Size the Fronthaul · Interactive lab~6 min

  5. Module 12 — Open RAN

    Map the O-RAN architecture and assess it like an operator.

    1. The case for open interfacesFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership5:07
    2. The O-RAN architecture mapFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:12
    3. The RIC, xApps and rApps — the two control loops behind RAN intelligenceFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:10
    4. Open RAN in the field: open fronthaul and the deployment scorecardFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:09
    5. Wire the O-RAN Fabric · Checkpoint~5 min

  6. Module 13 — Mobility & Radio Procedures

    Run a handover in your head, and know how 5G keeps a moving phone connected and reachable.

    1. Measurements & events: A3, hysteresis, time-to-triggerFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:20
    2. Handover, step by step: Xn and the N2 variantFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:21
    3. Carrier aggregation & dual connectivity — and EN-DC with 4GFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:06
    4. Paging, DRX and battery lifeFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership6:21
    5. Tune the A3 Handover · Interactive lab~5 min

  7. Module 14 — RAN Planning & Performance

    Dimension and judge a real 5G RAN — turn coverage, capacity and quality into numbers.

    1. KPIs that matter: RSRP, RSRQ, SINR — accessibility, retainability, energyFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership5:43
    2. Link budgets & coverage planningFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership7:11
    3. Capacity dimensioningFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership7:04
    4. Private 5G RAN — spectrum, architecture and planningFree for 7 days with a free account, then with Prime Membership7:02
    5. Read the Cell · Checkpoint~4 min
    6. Try itLink Budget CalculatorPCI Planning Tool

  8. Certification exam

    Earns a certificate

    49 questions · 60 min · 65% to pass — earns your TELCOMA Certified 5G RAN Specialist, a QR-verifiable certificate.

Join for free

Not ready yet? Take a free 20-question mock exam first.

Prefer to read? 5G Radio Access Network (Level 3) · Look up any acronym in the telecom glossary

Certification

Earn the TELCOMA Certified 5G RAN Specialist

Pass the 49-question exam with 65% or more, and the certificate is yours to show anyone.

  • Show proofEvery certificate carries a QR code and a public page that anyone can check.
  • Add it to LinkedInPut it in the Licenses & certifications section of your profile in one click.
  • Build a collectionEach of our 13 courses earns its own certificate.
Join for free →

Every lesson free for 7 days, no card. The exam comes with Prime Membership or this certification.

See a sample certificate verified →

Specimen of the TELCOMA Certified 5G RAN Specialist certificate — the real design, marked SPECIMEN
The certificate you receive — shown as a specimen.

Study materials

Free for 7 days

Download the 5G RAN Specialist question bank and slide deck — every signal check in the course, with answers, plus every figure.

  • Question BankPDF49 KB
  • Slide DeckPPTX15 MB
Join for free

Free with a new account for your first 7 days — no card. After that, the question bank and slides come with Prime Membership or this certification.

Hands-on learning

Do it, don't just watch it

Modules end with a hands-on exercise — 7 in this course. You move the controls, the numbers answer back, and a wrong turn tells you why.

Try this one first:

The Numerology Dial · Interactive lab · ~5 min

Try it free

Free with an account — no card.

The Numerology Dial — a hands-on interactive lab from 5G RAN Specialist

What you'll build

3 of 7 — the rest are in the syllabus

Ways to learn

Choose the way that fits you.

Recommended

Prime Membership

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13 courses · 404 lessons · ~52 h · 121 hands-on exercises

  • Lessons and labs in this course
  • Study pack — question bank and slides
  • Certification exams and verifiable certificates — all 13
  • Every other course — all, and new ones
  • Full-length practice exams
  • TelcoMentor AI coach
  • Hands-on scenarios — traces, logs, configs
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This certification

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One credential, yours for good

  • Lessons and labs in this course
  • Study pack — question bank and slides
  • Certification exams and verifiable certificates — 1, for this course
  • Every other course — first module
  • Not included: Full-length practice exams
  • Not included: TelcoMentor AI coach
  • Hands-on scenarios — traces, logs, configs — selected traces

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Free account

Free

Every course for your first 7 days, then the first module of each

  • Lessons and labs in this course — all for your first 7 days, then the first module
  • Study pack — question bank and slides — for your first 7 days
  • Not included: Certification exams and verifiable certificates
  • Every other course — all for your first 7 days, then the first module
  • Full-length practice exams — for your first 7 days
  • TelcoMentor AI coach — for your first 7 days, at a smaller daily limit
  • Hands-on scenarios — traces, logs, configs — all for your first 7 days, then selected traces
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A new free account opens every course for its first 7 days, no card needed: every lesson and lab, the study packs, the full-length practice exams and TelcoMentor. In those 7 days only the certification exam needs a paid option. After them, the first module of every course stays free. Both paid options come with a 7-day money-back guarantee.

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