Front-haul networking for 5G:

An analysis of technologies and

standardization
Hassan Halabian
hassan.halabian@Huawei.com
Canada Research Center
November 2017
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Cloud-RAN
 Advantages:
 Simplify the RRH site – Full outdoor, low cost
 Better RAN network performance - Facilitates cooperative radio schemes, e.g., ICIC, CoMP, Massive MIMO
 Future oriented – RAN virtualization

Fronthaul

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CPRI widely Deployed For 4G
 CPRI is - TDM based synchronous
interface/ Symmetrical serial data
link/Steady data stream, ”Always on”
 Embedded Ethernet or HDLC streams
(C&M plane data)
 I/Q data is the time samples of the wireless
analog signal (Data plane)
 Front-haul capacity linearly scales with
 Number of antenna ports/Number of sectors
 Sampling rate (Radio spectrum BW)/I/Q bit-
width
 Transmission overhead (coding and headers,
etc.)/compression factor etc
 BER=10-12

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If Use 4G RAN Architecture for 5G
 Facing high bandwidth challenge
 Big challenge for Massive MIMO (64T/64R) – Beyond 160
100Gbps requirement
64
 But the real fronthaul bandwidth depends on configuration
– air spectrum bandwidth, Massive MIMO types etc x8 x16
4G
5G

20 4

bandwidth Antenna num

（MHz）

CPRI Split Point Bandwidth Boosting Sharply

50~130 us 100 (Gbps)
160
x32
50 with 4:1 compression

5
0
4G 5G

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eCPRI Protocol Stack
 eCPRI Laye1: eCPRI Services
 eCPRI over electrical cable
 eCPRI over electrical backplane Real Time other eCPRI
User Data C&M Synchronization Connection OAM
 eCPRI over optical fiber C&M services

 eCPRI over Ethernet:

 eCPRI messages shall be transmitted in eCPRI specific protocol layer
e.g.
SNMP
PTP SyncE

standard Ethernet frames

 eCPRI over IP:
UDP, TCP,
UDP SCTP, etc.
UDP UDP, TCP
 eCPRI messages shall be transmitted in
UDP/IP packets
IP, ICMP
eRadio Equipment Control (eREC) eRadio Equipment (eRE) IP, IPsec IP IP,
IPsec
Control Control
IPsec
User Sync User Sync
& Mgmnt & Mgmnt

eCPRI Layer eCPRI Layer

Transport Network Layer Transport Network Layer
Transport Network Ethernet
Physical Layer Fronthaul Network Physical Layer
Ethernet, VLAN (priority tag), MACsec OAM

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If Use New RAN Architecture for 5G
 When compare CPRI with eCPRI, we found more
1: 5G AAU weight increasing
challenges

10~25 Gbps
eCPRI Split Point
50~130 us

Compared with CPRI part Phy function

embedded in 5G AAU

2: 5G AAU upgrade when add new

features

•Ignore RAN challenges

•eCPRI used for fronthaul
With Low Phy High Phy

3: Do not forget 4G: CPRI + eCPRI

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Possible 5G Fronthaul Solutions
 Increasing 5G site number faces fiber limitation
 Possible transport solutions:

Site number increasing due to 4.5GHz/28GHz Limited fiber resource

CPRI&eCPRI Scenario1: Eth based

Scenario2: WDM 4G BBU

CPRI&eCPRI CPRI&eCPRI

Scenario3: PON

5G CU/DU
CPRI&eCPRI Scenario4: Microwave
E-band

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Eth based Fronthaul Research Introduction
Fronthaul Requirements Side Ethernet Based Fronthaul Network

RAN Requirements

Last PAR 2018/07, SA Revcom approval: 2019/05

802.3br and 802.1Qbu : Frame preemption
802.1Qbv – Traffic Scheduling (time-gated queues)

Define RRH/BBU Interface Implementation

• Current focus: Profile(s) for current (CPRI 7.0)

• Next step is eCPRI • Another Team for Fronthaul based on Eth

• Joint effort with CPRI Cooperation • Already demo for CPRI over Eth

• Joint effort with IETF DetNet WG • Define new Eth Type for Fronthaul

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IEEE 1914.3 – CPRI over Ethernet
 Standard for Radio Over Ethernet (RoE) Encapsulations and Mappings, defines
 The encapsulation of digitized radio
 mapper/demapper functions to transfer CPRI streams over Ethernet.
 The header format for encapsulation of existing digitized radio transport formats.
 Three types of encapsulation techniques
 structure–agnostic mapper: is only a container for the encapsulated digitized radio transport frames.
 structure-aware mapper: has detailed knowledge of the encapsulated digitized radio transport format content
 native RoE packet.
1914.3 eCPRI
Technology Only Ethernet UDP/IP/Eth and Eth. - any packet transport
Bandwidth CBR (CPRI encapsulation) and VBR (Native RoE only) User traffic related, VBR( ~10 fold reduction)
Topology P2P connection, P2P/Chain/Ring P2MP connection, flexible topology
RAN IQ time domain and freq. domain data (Native RoE only) Any functional split
Proprietary Performance Limited Yes
Enhancement Support

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 IEEE 802.1 TSN Technology Overview
 Converged network for Information Technology (IT) and Operational
Technology (OT) in LAN
 Multi profiles for different applications – Video, Factory, Telecom…
Time synchronization:
Timing and Synchronization
(802.1AS) includes a profile of IEEE
1588
Bounded low latency:
Credit Based Shaper (802.1Qav)
Frame preemption (802.3br &
802.1Qbu)
Scheduled Traffic (802.1Qbv)
Cyclic Queuing and Forwarding
(802.1Qch) Asynchronous Traffic
Shaping (P802.1Qcr)
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Ultra reliability:
Frame Replication and Elimination
(P802.1CB)
Path Control and Reservation (802.1Qca)
Synchronization
Per-Stream Filtering and Policing
(802.1Qci)
Reliability
Reliability for time sync (P802.1AS-Rev)
Latency
Resource Mgmt Dedicated resources & API
Stream Reservation Protocol (802.1Qat)
TSN Standards TSN configuration (P802.1Qcc)
YANG (P802.1Qcp)
Link-local Registration Protocol
Zero congestion loss (P802.1CS)
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Eth based Solution – Prototype Test
 Encapsulation of CPRI frame  Multiplexing with FlexE

PW for CPRI FlexEth Bonding Subrate

Eth

CPRI MAC

Shim PHY

Eth MAC
Channelized

3 × CPRI 7
encapsulation IF 40GE（NNI）
（9.8304Gbps）

FPGA based, only lab POC

 2016 – Lab POC, CPRI over Eth via PW(same as E1 PW), FlexEth;
 No bandwidth saving, device needed when CPRI and eCPRI at the same site

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 WDM Based Solution – FO/Colorless Module
Current FO Solution Centralized WDM Solution(Under R&D)

passive
AAU Shared laser (10 directions)
2x50G multiple wavelengths
Map/ OTN
Demap OH oDSP E/O
15*Any Port O/E BiDi
GE~10G …

Colorful IF AAU
Cloud BB
Optical distribution GC Site
box
Colorless SFP+

Colorless SFP+(10G/25G) Shared laser

OSN 1800 BBU

• Full Outdoor, w/o • w/o optical layer • Bi-Di, with 1+1

site configuration commissioning protection

 Compatible with CPRI/eCPRI – transparent for any traffic

 Simple, low power consumption and save site fibers – without device

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PON Based Solution–– Optimized DBA Algorithm

Current NG-PON DBA ：350~550us DBA Optimization for 5G：50us~100us

PON Board - OLT DBA report ONU

SR-DBA
Periodic Control New Periodic SR-DBA
SR-DBA
windowing Allocation plane Periodic
NSR- windowing NSR-
DBA windowing NSR-
DBA logic Mechanism DBA
DBA
Date plane DBA logic
LL-DBA
SR T-CONT
DBA logic
Time slot

Scheduler NSR T-CONT • LL-DBA, low latency DBA in future, delay will be about 50us~100us.
• Periodic windowing should have new mechanism to eliminate latency to
• Assured-DBA/Max DBA, status report before bandwidth allocation : 1-2ms. 0.
• Fixed-DBA, no need status report, delay will be 100-200us
Notes: chipset and hardware must be changed to
• Periodic windowing, add delay 200-300us
support 50us~100us low latency DBA

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Fronthaul Solution Summary

1 2 3 4
WDM - Colorless Eth – RoE IP/Eth – eCPRI PON

• Transparent for • CPRI • Open for

CPRI/eCPRI: 4G&5G mapper/demapper performance
• Reuse the existing
Compatible needed enhancement
ODN
• No site device: Simple, • Limited functional • Support any packet
• Upgrade PON capacity
low power splitting available transport
and optimize the DBA
consumption • Utilize the L2 switch • Flexible function
algorithm
• Innovation: new supply chain splitting
optical module • Only Eth transport • No support for CPRI

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Thank you
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