Techniques to prevent and/or minimize user equipment service disruptions in virtualized radio access network architectures

One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, comprising:

• establishing, via a central unit of a virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN), a first radio connection for a user equipment (UE) via a first cell belonging to a first shared cell for the vRAN, wherein the first shared cell is served by a plurality of first radio units and a first distributed unit;
• determining that the UE is dual connectivity capable;
• instructing the UE to perform measurements for one or more other cells belonging to one or more other shared cells that have available capacity;
• obtaining measurement information from the UE for the one or more other cells;
• determining, based on the measurement information, a second cell among the one or more other cells having a highest measured signal strength, wherein the second cell belongs to a second shared cell served by a plurality of second radio units and a second distributed unit;
• and
• establishing a second radio connection for the UE via the second cell belonging to the second shared cell, wherein the first radio connection and the second radio connection are provided concurrently for the UE.

A system comprising:

• at least one memory element for storing data;
• and
• at least one processor for executing instructions associated with the data, wherein executing the instructions causes the system to perform operations, comprising:
• establishing, via a central unit of a virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN), a first radio connection for a user equipment (UE) via a first cell belonging to a first shared cell for the vRAN, wherein the first shared cell is served by a plurality of first radio units and a first distributed unit;
• determining that the UE is dual connectivity capable;
• instructing the UE to perform measurements for one or more other cells belonging to one or more other shared cells that have available capacity;
• obtaining measurement information from the UE for the one or more other cells;
• determining, based on the measurement information, a second cell among the one or more other cells having a highest measured signal strength, wherein the second cell belongs to a second shared cell served by a plurality of second radio units and a second distributed unit;
• and
• establishing a second radio connection for the UE via the second cell belonging to the second shared cell, wherein the first radio connection and the second radio connection are provided concurrently for the UE.