Encyclopedia
Centralized/Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN) are deployed in converged fixed-mobile networks to exploit the flexibility coming from joint application of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN). In this context, optical links connecting C-RAN nodes, possibly based on the Ethernet standards, may carry traffic with different requirements in terms of latency and throughput. This paper considers the problem of traffic aggregation on C-RAN optical Ethernet links with latency control for fronthaul traffic and throughput capability for backhaul traffic. Integrated hybrid nework technique is applied to show how time transparency can be enforced for Ethernet encapsulated Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) traffic while allowing statistical multiplexing of backhaul traffic. Simulation results show the effectiveness of segmentation of backhaul traffic to allow exploitation of the available bandwidth even with high capacity CPRI options.
- hybrid optical networks
- Ethernet
- fronthaul
- backhaul
- C-RAN
- convergence
- CPRI
Figures 1 and 2 show how the Integrated Hybrid Optical Network principle can be applied to C-RAN.[1][2]
The principle has been experimentally demonstrated as described in [3].
Several options are available to aggregate fronthaul and backhaul traffic in C-RAN. The description of fronthaul and backhaul traffic aggregation with delay transparency guarantee is given in
References
- S. Bjornstad; D.R. Hjelme; N. Stol; A packet-switched hybrid optical network with service guarantees. IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications 2006, 24, 97-107, 10.1109/jsac.2006.1665148.
- Aleksandra Checko; Henrik L. Christiansen; Ying Yan; Lara Scolari; Georgios Kardaras; Michael S. Berger; Lars Dittmann; Cloud RAN for Mobile Networks—A Technology Overview. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials 2015, 17, 405-426, 10.1109/comst.2014.2355255.
- Raimena Veisllari; Steinar Bjornstad; Jan P. Braute; Kurosh Bozorgebrahimi; Carla Raffaelli; Field-Trial Demonstration of Cost Efficient Sub-wavelength Service Through Integrated Packet/Circuit Hybrid Network [Invited]. Journal of Optical Communications and Networking 2015, 7, A379, 10.1364/jocn.7.00a379.
