FMC Network Architecture in 5G UNIC (Unified Network Integrating Cloud )

Yachen Wang

China Mobile

Content

• Background for FMC

• Overview of FMC in 5G

• FMC Key Technologies in 5G

• Summary

Motivation of FMC Fixed BB

Cellular WLAN

Service perspective

• Unified user identity • Unified charging • Service continuity • Service consistency

Network perspective

• Simplify network architecture • Reduce OPEX & CAPEX

What is on the table for FMC

IMS provides a service level convergence

IMS

• Devices can access IMS using any access type as far as there is an IP connectivity.

• Different devices can share the same subscriber profile (e.g. IMPI/IMPU/iFC) as well as the service features.

What is on the table for FMC (cont.)

I-WLAN provides service continuity b/w LTE and WLAN

• EPC acts as the unified core network for LTE and WLAN

• When device moving b/w LTE and WLAN, the IP address keeps unchanged, and the service flow uninterrupted.

• See also ITU-T SG13 Q10 Y MC-VCC for I-WLAN

ePDG S-GW

P-GW EPC

What is missing for FMC

• Fixed BB is not converged with other accesses at network level (BRAS, EPC)

• User data is not fully converged (AAA, HSS, HLR)

• Dedicated vertical for each access

• Others ?

Content

• Background for FMC

• Overview of FMC in 5G

• FMC Key Technologies in 5G

• Summary

MM

5G Vision- Functional View

Fixed Access

5G NR

Evolved LTE

WLAN UP(local)

UP(central)

SM Policy

NRF AU UDM AF

CP

UP

• Service-based Architecture and function interconnection

• Modularized function

• Network slicing

• Flexible UP

• C/U Separation

• C/D Separation

• FMC through converged CP and simplified UP

Softwarization Customization Flexibility

AP Central Office

Core TIC（with Mgmt. Platform）

Hardware

VIM SDN Ctrl.

VNFM

NFVI

Orchestrator

WAN SDN Ctrl.

Data Center: TIC Layer

AP

Dedicated

BBU

PTN

OLT

OTN

AP

Virtualized

NFVI

OLT

PTN OTN

Dedicated

Core TIC（with Mgmt. Platform）

Hardware

VIM SDN Ctrl.

VNFM

NFVI

Orchestrator

WAN SDN Ctrl.

AP

Virtualized

NFVI

OLT

PTN OTN

Dedicated

NFVI/Cloud OS

NFVI

NFVI/Cloud OS VIM

SDN Ctrl.

VNFM

Edge TIC

NFVI

NFVI/Cloud OS VIM

SDN Ctrl.

VNFM

Edge TIC

NFVI

NFVI/Cloud OS VIM

SDN Ctrl.

VNFM

Edge TIC

NFVI/Cloud OS

5G CP NF

5G UP NF

5G CP NF

5G UP NF

5G CP NF 5G CP NF

5G EC

BBU-CP 5G EC BBU-UP

5G UP NF 5G UP NF

5G EC

5G UP NF 5G UP NF

5G EC

BBU-CP 5G EC BBU-UP

5G Vision- Networking View • Network infrastructure is being transformed into TIC+AP

• TIC(Telecom integrated cloud): two layer data center with core TIC and edge TIC; TIC is based on NFV and SDN; TIC can be unified managed.

• AP(Access Point): central office closer to the user, and mainly accommodate RAN and transmission equipment

• 5G NFs can be flexibly deployed in TIC+AP based on the service scenarios. 5G CP NFs can be deployed in Core TIC, 5G UP NFs and MEC application can be deployed in Edge TIC or AP to meet MEC requirement

Architecture of UNIC

Authentication Authorization

AddressAllocation

Charging … ...PolicyLawful

Interception

Common Functionalities

Cellular Dedicated Functionalities WLAN Dedicated Functionalities Fixed BB Dedicated Functionalities

MM SM QoS

UNIC - CP

UNIC - UP

User PlaneFor 5G

User PlaneFor 4G

User PlaneFor WLAN

User PlaneFor Fixed BB

Firewall DPI … ...

ConvergedUser Data

Cloud

CloudService Chain

Uc

Ud

QoS

Management and

Orchestration

• Separated control and user plane

• Unified control plane for different accesses

• Converged user data for different accesses

• Service chain as a supplementary to user plane

• Cloud based deployment

• UNIC-CP could be deployed in core TIC, UNIC UP could be in edge TIC or AP

Unified Network Integrating Cloud (UNIC) is an unified CN for different accesses

Content

• Background for FMC

• Overview of FMC in 5G

• FMC Key Technologies in 5G

• Summary

Separation of Control and User Plane

Authentication

Charging

Policy

Access Control

MM

SM

… …

Packet Forwarding

Authentication Access Control

Charging MM SM

Policy … …

Packet Forwarding

Legacy NW entity User plane entity

Control plane entity

• 3GPP is working on CUPS for EPC entities. UNIC is to extend the idea to fixed BB, WLAN and cellular accesses.

• Different user plane equipments can be under control of an unified control plane equipment.

• Open issue: To choose the protocol(s) used b/w CP and UP Is it possible to use an unified protocol?

Reconstruction and convergence of Control Plane

Authentication

Charging

Policy

Addr Allocation

MM

SM

… …

Packet Forwarding

Authentication

Charging Policy

Addr Allocation

… …

Packet Forwarding

QoS

QoS

Cellular

Fiexed

Authentication

Charging Policy

Addr Allocation

… …

Packet Forwarding WLAN

1. Common CP modular function

• Enable unified identification and control to multiple access

Authentication Access Control Charging Policy … …

QoS MM QoS … …

2. Dedicated CP modular function for each access

• Enable specific control to some access

3. Converged UP function

• Simplified local UP of cellular and UP of fixed access are converged

Packet Forwarding

cellular fixed

FE for 5G

Cache URL Filter Firewall

FE for WLAN FE for Fixed BB

4. Dedicated UP function

• Simplified local UP of cellular and UP of fixed access are converged

Service Chain

Chain 1

Fixed BB

Cellular

Traffic classifier

Firewall URL Filter Cache

• Deploy a set of shared value-add services(e.g., URL filter, cache, FW) instead of deploying dedicated services for each kind of access type

• Traffic classifier is used to classify the traffic and assist to steer a flow through a chain on demand. It can be a separate function behind each kind of network or supported by user plane of each network

WLAN

Chain 2

Open issue:

1. What scenarios is fitful for shared service chain of fixed and mobile network

2. How to balance the flexibility to introduce new service and added latency

brought by separate service

Converged User Data

HSS

AAA

AAA

Unique user ID

Common Data

Fixed BB Specific data

WLAN Specific data

Cellular Specific data

• To merge user data in HSS and AAA together, with an unique user ID as the main index

• Unified authentication and authorization

• To provide unified data management

• Large scale database

• To define unified access protocols as few as possible

• Open issue: - mapping b/w different data models - Is it possible to use an unified protocol?

UE app

RAN

UE

UP for 5G

UP for 4G

UP for WLAN

UP for Fixed BB

BRAS EC Platform

CDN Cache

Video Optimization

…

Edge Computing UNIC can provide facilities for edge computing capability for both fixed and mobile users, by enabling required functions of IT service and cloud computing.

Advantages brought by edge computing: • enhance user experience by saving bandwith resources; • innovate edge services by introducing computing

capabilty close to the user.

Features: • Edge computing component is deployed in UNIC-UP, for both fixed and mobile users; • Edge computing platform can provide various service functions, such as CDN, cache, video optimization etc. • Access network is able to interactive with edge computing component, by providing required feedback

information, such as wireless status, downlink bandwith usage etc.

④

①

② ③

Example(CDN for Fixed BB):

① UE sends a request of a picture of a webserver;

② The request is redirected to CDN’s cache by load balance server deployed in UP;

③ UE requests the picture from CDN’s cache in EC platform;

④ Cache responds the content to UE.

Content

• Background for FMC

• Overview of FMC in 5G

• FMC Key Technologies in 5G

• Summary

Summary

1. As a complicated design, FMC is now facing a lot of problems:

a) a lack of coherence among various protocols • for UNIC-UP, there is a lack of coherence among 4G, 5G, WLAN, Fixed BB Protocols • also a lack of coherence between both UNIC-UP and UNIC-UC

b) a lack of coherence among identification types of different access technologies • cellphone number for 4G/5G wireless access • broadband ID for Fixed BB access • WLAN ID for WLAN access

c) unify user plane module of different access technologies use

2. To advance FMC among different SDOs

a) collaborate with 3GPP: • For ITU: focus on fixed access convergence and common architecture of 5G module in FMC • For 3GPP: focus on architecture of celluar network.

b) collaborate with related Open Source Organizations:

• such as ONF, ONOS, ODL, OPEN-O etc.

Thank You!