  To keep supporting 6G requirements, the radio access infrastructure will
increasingly densify. Cell-free (CF) networks offer extreme flexibility by
coherently serving users with multiple Access points (APs). This paradigm
requires precise and stable phase synchronization. In this article, we adapt
the standardized 5G NR setup (subcarrier spacing, OFDM symbol duration and
allocation) to investigate the effect of Phase Noise (PN) on the simulated
performance of scalable CF networks. In contrast to the prior literature
relying on the simplified model of a free-running oscillator with the Wiener
process, we deploy a realistic hardware-inspired phase noise model reproducing
the Local Oscillator (LO) phase drift. Our results demonstrate that even
affordable LOs offer sufficient stability to ensure negligible loss of uplink
Spectral Efficiency (SE) on the time scale of the standardized 5G Transmission
Time Interval of 1 ms. This study substantiates the feasibility of CF networks
based on 5G standards.
