diff --git a/targets/RT/USER/lte-enb.c b/targets/RT/USER/lte-enb.c
index 928b41ad44a5a0d427aea9495e4d1c36fd1593b5..58967612dcd0942373644f4188ce0c42600517af 100644
--- a/targets/RT/USER/lte-enb.c
+++ b/targets/RT/USER/lte-enb.c
@@ -1139,10 +1139,5 @@ void stop_eNB(int nb_inst) {
   for (int inst=0;inst<nb_inst;inst++) {
     LOG_I(PHY,"Killing eNB %d processing threads\n",inst);
     kill_eNB_proc(inst);
-    /* release memory used by these threads (incomplete) */
-    for (int cc_id = 0; cc_id < RC.nb_CC[inst]; cc_id++) {
-      free_transport(RC.eNB[inst][cc_id]);
-      phy_free_lte_eNB(RC.eNB[inst][cc_id]);
-    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/targets/RT/USER/lte-ru.c b/targets/RT/USER/lte-ru.c
index 5f60553fe118c3ad97f406059baef84db22bb2a3..9ff3129c699bc19c74c67e2819dc0ba021265cca 100644
--- a/targets/RT/USER/lte-ru.c
+++ b/targets/RT/USER/lte-ru.c
@@ -2251,8 +2251,6 @@ void stop_RU(int nb_ru)
   for (int inst = 0; inst < nb_ru; inst++) {
     LOG_I(PHY, "Stopping RU %d processing threads\n", inst);
     kill_RU_proc(inst);
-    /* release memory used by these threads (incomplete) */
-    phy_free_RU(RC.ru[inst]);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/targets/RT/USER/lte-softmodem.c b/targets/RT/USER/lte-softmodem.c
index baa14931694d544f39c1838c520996cf48ecdfbf..3aebf6d279ea833aa1333dd957f81452544911b9 100644
--- a/targets/RT/USER/lte-softmodem.c
+++ b/targets/RT/USER/lte-softmodem.c
@@ -1594,6 +1594,17 @@ int main( int argc, char **argv )
   } else {
     stop_eNB(NB_eNB_INST);
     stop_RU(NB_RU);
+    /* release memory used by the RU/eNB threads (incomplete), after all
+     * threads have been stopped (they partially use the same memory) */
+    for (int inst = 0; inst < NB_eNB_INST; inst++) {
+      for (int cc_id = 0; cc_id < RC.nb_CC[inst]; cc_id++) {
+        free_transport(RC.eNB[inst][cc_id]);
+        phy_free_lte_eNB(RC.eNB[inst][cc_id]);
+      }
+    }
+    for (int inst = 0; inst < NB_RU; inst++) {
+      phy_free_RU(RC.ru[inst]);
+    }
     free_lte_top();
   }