Cellular core networks till LTE used specialized telecom protocols running on specialized telecom hardware. With LTE vEPC, the first efforts were made towards virtualization. Service-Based Architecture (SBA) is an evolution of this approach and it’s been adopted by 5G System.
SBA utilizes the maturity of web and cloud technologies. Modularity, scalability, reliability, cost-effective operation, easy deployments, and faster innovation are some of the benefits of moving to SBA.
5G is not just about new devices, new use cases and higher speeds. The core network needs to be modernized to be able to support demanding performance requirements. eMBB, mMTC and URLLC are all different use cases that can’t be satisfied by a monolithic architecture. We’re expecting a massive increase in high-bandwidth content, low-latency applications and huge volumes of small data packets from IoT sensors.
5G Core needs to be flexible, agile and scalable. User plane and control plane need to be scaled independently. Traffic handling must be optimized. Network operators must be able to quickly launch new services. This calls for virtualization, a software-driven approach and adopting web protocols and cloud technologies.
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