Arrcus SRv6 Mobile User Plane

SRv6 MUP, a catalyst for innovation on 5G mobile networks

The SRv6 Mobile User Plane (MUP) is an innovative solution for 5G deployments, offering a simpler way to build high-capacity networks with improved scalability, reliability, and lower operational costs. Arrcus developed this solution jointly with SoftBank Corp. to bridge the gap between mobile and IP/cloud-native technologies, and enable Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) and Network Slicing with higher cost efficiency and operational simplicity than legacy network technologies. The SRv6 MUP provides advanced traffic engineering features and enhanced programmability, making it an optimal solution for next-generation networks.

SRv6 MUP Solution Highlights

System components:

MUP Controller (MUP-C) - is the control plane node in MUP architecture responsible for creating and managing the routes within the MUP enabled networks. It provides an interface to get session information from the 5G Core Control Plane and converts it into routing information for the data plane nodes, in the form of BGP routes.

MUP Provider Edge (MUP-PE) – located at the edge of the Transport Network, it performs translation of IP and/or GTP-U traffic into SRv6 on the Radio Access side. On the DN/Internet side of the network, MUP-PE connects the Internet/Data Network with the SRv6-enabled transport network. Directed by the session-transformed routes from MUP Controller with auto-discovery for the remote PEs, it sends the traffic to the appropriate destination MUP-PE connected to the target Radio Access Network (RAN), where the destination mobile user (UE) is located. That destination MUP-PE connects RAN, which could consist of tens of thousands of sets of CU/DU, via N3 interface (GTP protocol) and interworks it towards the Transport Network.

Benefits of SRv6 MUP for Service Provider networks

Business Benefits

Several architectural improvements described below lead to two very important business benefits for operators. The lifetime cost of deployment of a 5G network, both capital and operational, is substantially lower because of the network with smarter packet forwarding. Also, the additional ease in programmability of the network leads to acceleration in deployment cycles of a host of new monetizable applications for operators.

Reduced network complexity

SRv6 MUP reduces the operational complexity of network configurations and makes it easier for network operators to manage their networks. SRv6 eliminates the need for protocols like MPLS, LDP and RSVP-TE for QoS/traffic engineering. It is also able to steer traffic from tunneling/VPN protocols like GTP-U to SRv6. The SRv6 MUP provides additional deployment flexibility, as the N3 (RAN) and N6 (Internet/DN) interfaces do not need to be co-located on the same node, as in a 5G Core’s UPF.

Improved support for 5G and IoT

Network operators are enabled to offer differentiated value services within their networks, to help improve network scalability and reduce latency. SRv6 MUP allows network operators to create custom paths for UEs per 5G network slicing basis in the Transport Network, which improves network performance by reducing congestion and latency. This is crucial for resource constrained IoT devices, which benefit from low-latency communications.

Better support for Edge Computing

SRv6 MUP provides more efficient use of network resources, improving network reliability and reducing operational costs. It allows deployment of a unified ‘network fabric’ that facilitates a converged network for Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC), which requires high-speed, low-latency communications. It allows operators to easily add mobile edge sites within the network, at scale, overcoming the disadvantages of using other edge site deployment methods. SRv6 MUP allows for multiple mechanisms to separate traffic via slicing, differentiated QoS paths, and traffic rerouting in case of node failures or network congestion.

End-to-end Network Slicing

SRv6 MUP allows for a vast address space, to facilitate network slicing at scale. It also simplifies the creation of end-to-end slicing in the mobile network, by associating corresponding slices in the RAN and 5G Core, with slices in the transport network. These end-to-end slices support different traffic characteristics like QoS, latency and route resiliency in case of failure or congestion. The solution in the transport network can be orchestrated and managed using typical routing functions like Flex Algorithm (Flex Algo).

High scalability

SRv6 MUP is designed to work with the IPv6 protocol, which is best suited for the necessary scale and performance of 5G networks. The User Plane is transformed from session-based (as in UPF) to routing-based. Other transport technologies like MPLS, were designed to work with IPv4, which has a limited label space and a limited address space and can't scale to support the massive number of devices and applications associated with 5G and IoT.