#CiscoLive

5G Reality Check: What is

Hype and Where is Hope?
Bob Everson Dave Malik
Senior Director, 5G Architecture Cisco Fellow & Chief Architect
Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group Customer Experience (CX)
@everbo @dmalik2

BRKSPG-2668

#CiscoLive
Agenda
• Market Update – Hype or Hope?
• Taking an Outside-In Approach
• Key Tenets for Success in 5G and Beyond
• Use Cases
• Conclusions

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 Improved experiences

More Spectrum

Public and Private Networks

New business models

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 Where we are today

1G 2G 3G 4G 5G
30
2019
Connected devices (Billions)

5G launches and the

number of connected
devices is greater the

20
the human population
5G is the
2009
beginning of a
4G launches and the
number of connected massive shift into
devices is greater the
10
the human population
the Internet of
1995 Things
1979
2.5G introduces GPRS,
The first generation of with wider coverage
1 mobile connectivity is and more economical
launched scaling based on IP
networking

0.001
Inflection points
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Sources: GSMA, PEW Research, Cisco Annual Internet Report

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Global 5G spectrum Japan
Today NSA Sub-6 GHz
China mmWave

Today NSA Sub-6 GHz Sub-6

USA Sub-6
Sub-6 carrier aggregation

Today NSA Sub-6 GHz Europe Standalone 2021 Standalone

Sub-6 + mmWave aggregation
mmWave 2021 Sub-6 carrier aggregation
Today NSA Sub-6 GHz
Sub-6 mmWave
Sub-6
Standalone
mmWave
2021 Sub-6 carrier aggregation
2021 Sub-6 carrier aggregation
Sub-6 + mmWave aggregation
Standalone
South Korea
India Today NSA Sub-6 GHz
mmWave
LATAM 2021 NSA Sub-6 GHz
Standalone
mmWave
Today NSA Sub-6 GHz Standalone 2021 Sub-6 carrier aggregation
Sub-6 Sub-6

2021 mmWave SE Asia Sub-6 + mmWave aggregation

Standalone
5G spectrum is Sub-6 carrier aggregation
Today NSA Sub-6 GHz
Australia
mmWave
commonly classified by Today NSA Sub-6 GHz
3 spectrum bands – 2021 Standalone
Sub-6 FDD
High (mmWave), Mid, 2021 mmWave
and Low. Sub-6 carrier aggregation
Standalone
Indicates that the rollout will continue beyond the listed year

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5G deployments to date

Sub 6 Ghz & mmWave

Sub 6 Ghz

5G deployments are
expanding rapidly.

Disclaimer: This map does not

represent nationwide coverages.
5G will take many more years before
it is considered fully rolled out.

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5G NSA: an inside-out, network-centric solution

IMS

Backhaul
RRU Internet
BBU
eNodeB
LTE

IMS

Backhaul
RRU Internet
BBU
gNodeB
LTE & 5G

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Inflection points will accelerate 5G Standalone

Spectrum Device
Availability Growth

User
Applications Experience
Expectations

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…And a transformed architecture
Access Transport Core + Cloud Services

Automation | Orchestration | Assurance

vRAN, Far Edge User Plane, Edge Apps Control, Policy, Core
Private + Public Hybrid Cloud
Enterprise

F/H M/H B/H

Converged SDN Transport

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A foundation built for the new outside-in 5G world
self-optimizing and self-healing, agile services platform

Unified multi-domain policy Automation & orchestration

extend the network you know and trust Real-time visibility, assurance, and
across your business analytics to support zero-touch operations
leading to a network that is self-optimizing
and self-healing, cross-domain

Mass Scale
re-imagine operations and
Secure, trustworthy
continue to support hybrid Architectural infrastructure
workflows tenets Maintain integrity of hardware and
software, as well as overall system to
operate securely

Full-stack observability
Multi-box, multi-vendor, single domain

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Network domains
Automation and Service Assurance

Radio Access Transport Network Telco Cloud Mobile Core

Network (RAN)

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Is 5G meeting the
hype? What is the
reality?

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Open Virtual RAN
flexibility, scalability, optionality

Traditional vs. Disaggregated Advantages

Proprietary Platform Software Defined
Open interfaces for vendor diversity
Embedded Software Unbundled and an ecosystem for innovation

Fixed Applications Programmable

Faster deployment and reduced
Integrated Deployment, Management Flexible time-to-market for new services

Disaggregated software managed

Decomposed and Open with efficient cloud-based models

Service optimization from

DU CU
Disaggregated increased programmability

RU
and Virtualized
Decreased TCO – CAPEX and OPEX

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Open vRAN architecture options
Cell site Far Edge Edge Core

DU CU
Backhaul
RU NGC

UPF

Midhaul Backhaul
DU CU
RU NGC

UPF

Fronthaul Backhaul
DU CU
RU NGC

Fronthaul DU Midhaul CU Backhaul

RU NGC

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Evolving from 4G to 5G
4G LTE 5G NSA 5G SA Converged Core

eNodeB eNodeB eNodeB eNodeB gNodeB eNodeB gNodeB gNodeB eNodeB gNodeB

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Evolving to 5G SA:
A hybrid environment with 5GC and EPC DDN
(URLLC)

Internet

DDN
(m-MTC) IMS

eMBB
Network
Slice
A flexible core network consolidates
Charging

Core
R14 LTE and 5GC R15 and R16 features Policy SMF UPF+
SAEGW-c N4/Sx SAEGW-u

NSSF Functions
HSS/
UDM

AMF
N3/N9
N26

vCU can be the RAN consolidation point MME

Edge
Common
Functions
Slices Edge
Hosting
UPF+
SAEGW-u Edge
S1-MME
N2
N3 Functions
S1-MME
vCU

F1 F1

Key converged core & edge features

S1-u

LTE NR
Legacy
EUTRAN

5G 5G
NSA SA

Legacy MBB eMBB M-MTC URLLC

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5G mobile interfaces & transport requirements
Interface Interfaces Components Protocol stack Transport requirements
O-RAN 7.2X CU-Plane (eCPRI) O-RUßàO-DU Ethernet/VLAN Point to Point- Access only
Ethernet/VLAN/IP
O-RAN Fronthaul
Legacy Fronthaul
O-RAN 7.2X M-Plane O-RU,O-DU,NMS –hybrid IP (NETCONF) Multi-point - Access, agg, core
O-RU-O-DU - Hierarchical

Legacy Fronthaul 1914.3 (RoE) RRHßàBBU with RoE mapper Ethernet Point to point – Access only

F1 CUßàDU UP: IP/GTP Multi-point – Access, aggregation,

E1 CU-CPßàCU-UP CP: IP/SCTP
Midhaul Xn CUßàCU

N1,N2 CUßà5GC UP: IP/GTP Multi-point- Access, aggregation

N3 CUßàUPF CP: IP/SCTP
N4 UPFßà5GC
Backhaul
N9 UPFßàUPF

N6 UPFßà local AF IP (Anything) Multi-point – upstream of UPF (core)

GiLAN / N6 UPFßà Peering

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5G and 4G mobile use cases
Access Pre-Agg Aggregation Transport
Cell site
Fronthaul (eCPRI) Backhaul (CP+UP) N6
UPF
O-DU O-CU
O-RU Midhaul (Xn)
Backhaul (N9)

Fronthaul (eCPRI) Midhaul Backhaul N6

UPF
O-DU O-CU
O-RU
Midhaul (Xn) Backhaul (N9) 5G Standardization
Midhaul Backhaul N6
(ITU-T IMT2020)
UPF
O-DU O-CU
O-RU
Midhaul (Xn) Backhaul (N9)

Backhaul N6
UPF
O-RU O-DU O-CU
Midhaul (Xn)
Fronthaul (eCPRI) Midhaul Backhaul N6
UPF
O-DU O-CU CP
O-RU
Midhaul Backhaul
5G Distributed UPF
O-CU UP
Backhaul
Backhaul
UPF
N6 AF

Fronthaul (CPRIßàeCPRI/RoE) Backhaul

BBU

RRH
RoE
Mapper
RoE
Mapper
GiLAN
4G co-existence
Backhaul
eNodeB
SAE
GW

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Cisco’s 5G transport strategy
Transport SDN / Orchestration and Telemetry
Services: MP-BGP EVPN and L3VPN
Underlay transport fabric: MPLS or SRv6, QoS, Precision Timing

Peering
Access Pre-Agg
BRKSPG-2668
Aggregation Transport Core 20

F/H M/H B/H

Cloud

Dark fibre/WDM Dark fibre/switched WDM

• End to End Segment Routing packet fabric • Statistical multiplexing and statistic gain from
using routers/switches edge towards transport core
• Inter-connected using point to point fibre with • Data centers strategically located at all levels
Ethernet presentation

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O-RAN basic 5G transport O-RAN
Mngmt

Fronthaul management plane (L3VPN)

5G CP

O-RU Transport
Midhaul/Backhaul Control Plane (L3VPN) Network

Midhaul/Backhaul Data Plane (L3VPN)

O-RU

N6
O-RU
O-DU
UPF
O-CU
EVPN VPWS

EDGE DC REGIONAL DC
SEGMENT ROUTING

• No clear view from operators on how to separate different 5G components even without slicing
• Ethernet VPWS services for fronthaul interfaces with priority queuing
• L3 VPNs for midhaul/backhaul
• 2 off same backhaul VPN infrastructureL3VPNs for midhaul/backhaul control plane and
midhaul/backhaul user plane
• 4G / 5G share
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ACI to SR/MPLS handoff
• Unified Segment routing (SR/MPLS) based
transport network

• Building consistent end to end policy

across DC and SP transport networks

• Solution validated with ASR 9000 and NCS

platforms

ACI Remote Leaf ACI Fabric ACI Fabric

SR-MPLS SR-MPLS SR-MPLS SR-MPLS SR-MPLS SR-MPLS

interworking interworking interworking interworking interworking interworking Internet

IP/MPLS/SR IP/MPLS/SR

Pre-aggregation Edge Regional Central

Data Center Data Center Data Center

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5G Edge with ACI Remote Leaf

Enabling 5G Edge & CUPS

Architecture
ACI Remote Leaf
SyncE and PTP support for 5G
Time & Frequency
Synchronization

Integration with
Central/Regional Data Center Edge Datacenter SR/MPLS Transport Network
(SP services – UPF, SMF, AUF, IMS, PCRF, MME) Cache, UPF, MEC

Zero Touch Deployment Centralized Management & Consistent Policy across

in the Edge Orchestration Distributed Datacenter
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Bringing it together with Automation and Service
Assurance
Automation & Assurance

5G Apps Cisco 3rd Party Cisco Partner

VNF VNF CNF CNF
NF Lifecycle
Management
Virtualization Virtualization Stack
Stack
Turn-key Operations

F/H M/H B/H

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End-to-end slicing from edge to cloud

~20ms 20-50ms >1000 km

~10ms 10-20ms: 100-1000 km

URLLC 1ms: >100 km

MEC
Distributed
BNG Peering

CMTS

O-DU UPF
Mobile
R-PHY O-CU Core
100us->1ms (4G/5G) NFVI <10ms NFVI NFVI

Access Metro IP/MPLS Core

Far Edge DC Edge DC Regional DC

1000’s of sites 10-100’s of sites

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Moving from Hype
to Reality

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Making 5G a reality

Proprietary & closed Reactive Disjointed Centralized

Proactive, automation Unified domains, full- Disaggregation &

Open & innovative
& orchestration stack observability distributed functions

Access Agg. Edge Core

Trustworthy, secure infrastructure

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 Outside-In Customer Focus

Plan for a 5 –10 year Horizon

Maximize 5G SA Transition

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