Optical Anyhaul

Mobile transport for the 5G era

White paper

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 Contents

Introduction 3
5G target applications and requirements 4
Mobile network operator evolution paths to 5G 8
Nokia Optical Anyhaul Solution 10
Creating a dynamic, reconfigurable optical network with carrier SDN 14
Summary 15
Abbreviations 16

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Introduction
Mobile transport networks are on the threshold of a major transformation driven by the demands of fifth-
generation (5G) wireless technology. The demands include greater coverage, connectivity, and availability,
along with dramatically improved speeds and latency.
A key goal for mobile operators is to enhance revenue from traditional markets while developing
revolutionary new services and applications that take advantage of the attributes of the new 5G
infrastructure. To support the new applications and services, operators need to leverage existing
investments, while deploying new radio access network (RAN) and transport architectures. They also
need to ensure that existing services continue to operate flawlessly within the new architectures.
As a result, 5G networks will move to new cloud RAN architectures that enable improved scale, efficiency,
and flexibility. This architecture will leverage both WDM and packet optical solutions that meet the capacity,
latency, synchronization, QoS, and resiliency requirements of existing and future applications.
To address a diverse mix of existing and new use cases in a timely and cost-effective manner, 5G mobile
networks are likely to be based on virtualized building blocks, rather than traditional physical building
blocks. Virtualization will reduce time to market for innovative new service offerings and allow operators
to gain first-mover competitive advantages. And since mobile bandwidth is already being commoditized,
mobile network operators (MNOs) may also incorporate new developments that enable service
differentiation.
Although the standards are not complete, an industry-wide consensus already emerges about the key
5G network objectivess:
• 1-25 Gbps or faster connections to endpoints in the field
• 1 millisecond end-to-end, round-trip delay (latency)
• 1000x more bandwidth per unit area
• 10 to 100x more connected devices
• Perception of 99.999 percent availability
• Perception of 100 percent coverage
• 90 percent reduction in network energy usage
• Up to 10-year battery life for low-power, machine-type devices
Sub-ms latency for select applications and downlink speeds higher than 1 Gbps are attributes that enable
revolutionary new use cases, services, and applications. Figure 1 illustrates the bandwidth and latency
requirements for potential 5G use cases and demonstrates their diverse applications and performance
needs.

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Figure 1. 5G applications and their associated bandwidth and latency requirements
Deliverable via legacy networks and technology

Personal Wireless cloud

1000 ms
cloud apps base office (MEC)
Monitoring IoT Video
sensor networks Machine-to-machine streaming
communication

100 ms Automotive Bi-directional

eCall remote controlling
Remote device IoT
network controls First emergency
responder
Delay

Disaster
10 ms alerting Multi person
service live video
Real-time
gaming Tactile
internet
Augmented
1 ms reality
Autonomous Virtual
driving reality
<1 Mb/s 1 Mb/s 10 Mb/s 100 Mb/s >1 Gb/s
Bandwidth demand
Mobile service Nomadic service Fixed service

Building separate networks for each application would be enormously complex and economically impractical.
Operators need a single “system of systems” that can meet all bandwidth and latency requirements in
a way that is simple for users and applications. The journey toward 5G will bring uncertainty concerning
applications, use cases, business, operational and monetization models, and standardization and
technology timeframes. But the transport infrastructure, which was built for 4G, must seamlessly and
flexibly evolve to support the virtualized, low-latency, and high-capacity services required for 5G without
a complete build-out of the network.

5G target applications and requirements

While 4G networks are primarily designed to carry a single type of traffic (namely mobile broadband), 5G
networks are natively designed for multiple traffic types with very different requirements. 5G applications
can be segmented into the following three broad categories:
• Extreme mobile broadband (eMBB) can offer higher bit rates and support extreme traffic densities for
the evolution of communications and entertainment. For example, applications could include immersive
virtual reality and tactile Internet—or 3D video applications where high capacity is needed to dramatically
boost throughput and provide reasonable performance everywhere.
• Internet of Things (IoT) services requirements are widely expected to drive 5G. For instance, massive
machine type communications (mMTC) may soon connect billions of sensors, meters, and machines,
which will entail adding massive densities of low-traffic devices and bearers.
• Mission-critical services and control will enable reliable, secure, and low-latency communications.
Applications in this category can include ultra-reliable and low-latency use cases, such as the ability to
perform remote surgery or connected autonomous vehicles. In these cases, latency requirements could
be as low as sub milliseconds or a few milliseconds.

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Transport requirements
Latency and bandwidth requirements are the critical transport aspects of these 5G categories.
The requirements can be broken down into two main use cases:
• Extreme mobile broadband (eMBB) use cases: The RTT latency requirements are relaxed, with 10ms
(NGMN e2e) or 8ms (3GPP, radio) respectively. The bandwidth requirements and peak rates dominate
here (3GPP requires 10 to 20Gbps in the long run).
• Ultra-low-latency (ULL) use cases: These use cases require Round Trip Time (RTT) latency of 1ms
or less. The NGMN requires that E2E application latency of 1ms for use cases that require extremely
low latency.

Metrics and use cases

Figure 2 shows the main metrics and use cases for the 5G mobile network as determined by the NGMN.
Based on these application parameters, the key requirements are:
• An ability to support 10ms end-to-end latency applications (Lower than 4G LTE applications having
approximately 50ms of latency.)
• Extreme mobile broadband access in dense urban areas of up to 750Gbps per square kilometer
• Support of applications requiring ultra-low latency (less than 1ms) and ultra-high reliability
Thus, transport networks must become more dynamic to handle different kinds of services, with widely
varying requirements for such things as capacity, latency, reliability, mobility, and energy efficiency. For
instance, mobile broadband will require huge capacity and video caching capabilities. Massive IoT will,
instead, need high density, but without mobility. And mission-critical applications will require low latency
and high reliability.
Figure 2. 5G application metrics – capacity and latency

Massive IoT Broadcast Broadband High Pervasive Lifeline Ultra Tactile

services access user video comm. reliable internet
everywhere mobility comm.
1000 ms 100 ms 10 ms 1 ms

Use case Example use case E2E latency User rate Traffic Density
Broadband access in dense areas Pervasive video 10ms DL: 300Mbps/UL:50Mbps 750Gbps/km2
Broadband access everywhere Ultra low-cost broadband access 50ms DL: 10Mbps/UL:10Mbps 16Mbps/km2
High user mobility MBB in vehicles 10ms DL: 50Mbps/UL:25Mbps 100Gbps/km2
Massive IoT Massive low cost MTC >1000ms 1-100kbps Non critical
Extreme real time communication Tactile internet <1ms DL: 50Mbps/UL:25Mbps Potentially high
Lifeline communication Natural disaster 10ms DL: 1Mbps/UL:1Mbps Potentially high
Ultra-reliable communication Autonomous driving 1ms DL: 10Mbps/UL:10Mbps Potentially high
Broadcast like services News broadcast <100ms DL: 200Mbps/UL:500kbps Not relevant

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5G RAN spectrum considerations
Spectrum is a key factor in shaping the wireless network. Figure 3 shows the key characteristics of the
5G RAN as it relates to spectrum used, capacity and reach afforded, and cell site size. The next-generation
5G RAN needs to meet the performance requirements of the targeted 5G applications. To achieve the
significant capacity increases needed, the higher RF spectrum must be used, because available spectrum
in the lower (below 6GHz) region is limited. For instance, carrier bandwidth can be increased from nx20MHz
for spectrum below 6GHz to nx100MHz in the cmWave spectrum. However, the increase in RF frequency
reduces propagation distances. And whereas coverage is approximately 1km to 5km for low spectrum,
this shrinks to 50m to 100m in the cmWave region. Thus, deployment of small cells will be essential for
the next-generation 5G RAN.
Figure 3. 5G RAN spectrum, capacity, and cell size

400MHz 3GHz 6GHz 10GHz 30GHz 90GHz

Continuous coverage, high mobility, and reliability Higher capacity and massive throughput

Different characteristics, licensing, sharing, and usage schemes

Carrier bandwidth n * 20MHz n * 100MHz 1-2GHz

Duplexing FDD TDD

Cell size Macro Small Ultra small

n x 1km n x 100m n x 10m

Coverage Capacity
< 6GHz cmWave mmWave
Wide area Dense urban Extreme mobile
and small cells broadband

1Gbps and lower 5-10Gbps Extreme: >10Gbps

LOS/NLSO LOS

5G functional split
5G RANs introduce the concept of a functional split in the radio baseband processing protocol stack.
In April 2017, 3GPP selected one higher layer functional split for specification (Option 2 – PDCP/RLC)
with a study of lower layer splits planned subsequently. These two main split points include:
• Low-latency functional split (Fs-LL): This split is mainly intended to reduce the interface bandwidth,
compared to CPRI. However, the split is within the hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) loop.
Compared to 4G, the latency requirements will be the same or lower (50µs to 250µs is expected).
The traffic over this split interface relates to the antenna traffic, which is a constant bit rate stream.
• High-latency functional split (Fs-HL): This split is intended to increase latency tolerance and reduce
bandwidth for the interface which the 3GPP calls F1. The traffic over this link relates to user traffic—
and has the same bursty characteristics—so it can be statistically multiplexed. The latency requirements
for this functional split are related to end-to-end application latency. For 10ms end-to-end applications,
a budget of 2ms to 4ms is allocated to transport. This allows the mobile data center to be positioned
up to 400km away from the RAN edge.

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The terms Fs-LL and Fs-HL both refer to the functional split reference point, as well as the protocol that
runs over the interface, which can be either low-latency Ethernet or high-latency Ethernet, as shown in
Figure 4. The left side of the figure (a) shows a traditional LTE eNB baseband unit, where the entire radio
stack is in one unit, and CPRI is the interface protocol from the baseband processor to the radio head.
The right side of the figure (b) shows the functional split for 5G, which introduces the Fs-LL and Fs-HL splits.
Figure 4. Radio baseband processing protocol stack
S1 (IP/packet) S1 (IP/packet)

RAN high
S1 termination functions S1 termination

PDCP located in PDCP

RAC/CU
Dual F1 FS-HL Ethernet
connection
Dual
(2ms-6ms latency)
RLC connection

High MAC RLC

HARQ RAN low High MAC

processing functions
Low MAC Low MAC
located in
Bit-level Bit-level RAU/DU Bit-level Bit-level
processing processing processing processing
IDFT and IDFT and
Modulation Modulation
demodulation demodulation

Layer mapping Channel estim. Layer mapping Channel estim.

and precoding and equalization and precoding and equalization
Resource FFT and resource FS-LL Ethernet
mapping and iFFT de-mapping Resource FFT and resource (50us to 250us latency)
mapping and iFFT de-mapping
CPRI CPRI
L1L radio head L1L radio head

(a) 4G – LTE eNB (b) 5G functional split

The RAN-Low functions are in a physical unit called the radio aggregation unit (RAU)/distributed unit (DU)
and the RAN-High functions are in the radio access controller (RAC)/centralized unit (CU). The RAC function
is architected to be located on virtual machines on servers within a mobile data center.
5G latency
The following two concepts are crucial when describing latency in RAN networks:
• Round-trip time for HARQ: This is the RTT from the user to the L2 MAC function that terminates the
HARQ function in the baseband processor, then back to the user. It allows for the correction of link
errors at a low network level, avoiding the re-transmission of packets from the source application across
the entire network. In 4G LTE networks, the HARQ processing time gives rise to the well-known latency
limitation for CPRI transport in C-RAN fronthaul applications of 150 to 200μs.
• Round-trip time for the application: This is the RTT from the user through the RAN, and transport
network to the core and application, then back.

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Figure 5 illustrates the RTT time using a red dashed line to provide an end-to-end view. It points out
the various delays during transport and the HARQ loop.
Figure 5. End-to-end application latency

EPC MEC
Fs-LL Fs-HL RTT
~<100μs RTT NGMN: e.g. 2-4ms (~100km)
(HARQ) 3GPP: e.g. 4-6ms (~300km)
RRH + antenna

MBB radio
eMBB UE
(RAU/DU)
RAC/CU Core Service

100ms (max 50ms)

Antenna site Radio site Radio cloud site Core site Operator
service/internet

Synchronization
5G mobile architectures require synchronization of the radio heads through a packet-switched Ethernet
network. Specification for the time error (TE) performance is currently under evaluation, for example
through IEEE802.1CM. Table 1 shows the four categories of TE performance that have been proposed.
Table 1. Time synchronization classes
Category Max (TE) Optional/mandatory Use (radio access technology)
A+ 12.5ns Optional MIMO and transmit diversity
A 45ns Mandatory Intra-band contiguous CA
B 110ns Mandatory Intra-band non-contiguous and Inter-band carrier aggregation
C 1.38μs Mandatory Time division duplex

Descriptions of the network conditions can be found in the IEEE802.1CM reference. But the time error
for classes A+, A, and B assume relative error between a cluster of elements from a common clock in the
synchronization chain. When applications require an absolute time error from the grandmaster or primary
reference time clock (PRTC)—for example, location-based OTDOA services requiring TE accuracy in the
range of +/-100ns to +/-200ns—then the challenge of providing this level of accuracy over a network
is very high.

Mobile network operator evolution paths to 5G

Introducing 5G creates an opportunity to improve how mobile backhaul and metro networks converge.
This type of transformation lays the foundation for updating an operator’s network to accelerate and
revolutionize services. In fact, the 5G-driven transformation of mobile networks is one of the most
significant infrastructure changes to networking in many years.
In migrating the access network to 5G, operators must ensure that the network complies with the 5G
requirements discussed earlier in this document. Today, the optimal long-term investment is to build
a fronthaul network that meets these forward-looking requirements.

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Mobile network operator evolution paths to 5G
Nokia Mobile Transport solutions, which already provide bit-rate and protocol agnostic transport for 4G,
will be ready to support 5G fronthaul and midhaul traffic types with the various functional splits that are
being defined. A low-latency aggregation network will be needed to connect the intermediate mobile
CO/hub to the mobile data center. During the evolution, 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies will often need to be
supported concurrently over the same access network. Therefore, a mix of cases must also be supported,
including traditional fronthaul (CPRI/OBSAI), next-generation fronthaul (eCPRI/NGFI), and classical backhaul
(IP/Ethernet).
Mobile operators have several paths to choose from in their move to 5G, depending on their initial 4G
deployment. These deployment models include:
A. Classical/Distributed RAN, where baseband processing is located at the macro site
B. Centralized RAN, where baseband processing is moved to the centralized RAN hub
C. Cloud RAN, where the higher split function of the baseband processing (RAC) is implemented
on cloud servers in a data center, and the low split functions (RAU) are implemented in a unit
at the macro site
Figure 6 shows several mobile transport deployment scenarios for the introduction of 5G. Case 1 depicts a
5G Cloud RAN where Ethernet enabled 5G radios connect via next generation packet optical fronthaul. Case
2 shows a mixture of traditional and next generation fronthaul whereby a 4G macro may be complemented
with 5G small cells for capacity. Dedicated wavelengths can be used to pass the CPRI and eCPRI traffic
having ultra low latency requirements. Case 3 shows a traditional centralized RAN connecting the radio to
the centralized BBU with a backhaul network providing connectivity to the packet core network.
Note that the RAU and RAC can be in different parts of the network to meet an operator’s needs. In some
cases, the RAU can be located at a macro cell site aggregating traffic from subtended small cells. In other
cases, it may be aggregating traffic at an intermediate hub site for subsequent transport to the site
housing the controller.
Figure 6. Flexibility to address “anyhaul”
Case 1 Remote radio Virtualized BBU Cloud packet core Data center/peering

NG fronthaul Midhaul Backbone

Dynamic connectivity Dynamic connectivity Dynamic connectivity

Latency-sensitive Ethernet

Case 2 Remote radio Up to 20km Baseband pool Up to 400km Baseband pool Packet core

C-RAN fronthaul Midhaul network Backhaul network

RAU
RAU Static connectivity Packet TSN RAC Packet networking
Small cell Ultra-low latency
Macro site C-RAN hub Mobile data center

Case 3 Remote radio Up to 20km Baseband pool Packet core

C-RAN fronthaul RAC Traditional backhaul

Static connectivity RAU Packet networking
Small cell Ultra-low latency
Macro site C-RAN hub

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Nokia Optical Anyhaul Solution
Nokia is helping operators satisfy 5G requirements with a comprehensive mobile transport portfolio that
encompasses IP, optical, NG-PON, and microwave transport technologies. In the optical space, Nokia is
building on a long and successful tradition of providing multi-layer, high-capacity, low-latency optical
products that meet the most stringent requirements for diverse market segments. These offerings have
been deployed by a variety of customers in a range of network scenarios.
Figure 7. Optical Anyhaul as part of the Nokia mobile transport portfolio
Remote radio Baseband unit Mobile gateway Data centers/peering

Fronthaul Backhaul Backbone

CPRI/OBSAI

Optical IP router Microwave PON/DSL Head-end Core Microwave

C/DWDM IP router IP router

TSN Ethernet (Options as listed in Metro Carrier Optical

backhaul transport) optical Ethernet DWDM

1830 VWM 1830 PSS-8 1830 PSS-16 1830 PSS-36 1830 PSS-24x

WDM fronthaul access Packet TSN fronthaul/backhaul Backhaul/core

To support diverse deployments, the Nokia 1830 product family has been designed with high flexibility,
power efficiency, and a small footprint. The 1830 VWM products enable cost-effective access for sites
having traditional fronthaul interfaces (CPRI/OBSAI/Ethernet) on point-to-point links, while the packet-
aggregation and optical-transport functions required for time-sensitive, packet switched Ethernet
fronthaul networks (TSNs) are supported by the Nokia 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) products.
Together, these network elements create a solution that can address fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul
applications.
Operators can use these solutions to deploy 5G-ready transport networks today, because they address
the following key factors needed for upcoming 5G applications:
• High-capacity data rates (to support tenfold increases in user data)
• Low-latency transport (to support real-time M2M applications)
• Distribution network that can grow to support ultra-dense deployments (to enable cell densification)
• Ultra-high reliability capabilities (to support mission-critical applications)
• Highest-quality synchronization distribution capabilities (to support new RF interfaces)

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Figure 8 shows a high-level view of the Nokia Optical Anyhaul solution. It supports a mix of backhaul,
traditional fronthaul, and next-generation fronthaul applications to enable evolution to centralized RAN
and cloud RAN architectures.
Figure 8. Nokia Optical Anyhaul Solution
Carrier
Distributed Backhaul Ethernet
RAN Ethernet or MPLS-TP

RRH/BBU
BBU
pool MEC
4G Centralized WDM fronthaul
RAU RAC
RAN CPRI/OBSAI
1830 VWM NMS
RRH

5G Centralized NG fronthaul Optical Ethernet network

RAN NGFI/eCPRI
(packet/Ethernet TSN) EPC MEC
RU 1830 PSS 1830 PSS 1830 PSS RAC BBU
5G Cloud RAN
NG fronthaul Data center
NGFI/eCPRI 1830 PSS
RU/RAU

Radio site Intermediate hub Central office

Highly accurate synchronization distribution

As part of the solution, the Nokia 1830 PSS Packet-Optical Platform can provide an enhanced-performance
time and frequency distribution network, which addresses ITU-T G.8271.1 and G.8261 standards. It can
also satisfy the more stringent absolute TE accuracy requirements of OTDOA, using a direct point-to-point
bi-directional optical timing channel (OTC). This bi-directional OTC transports both transmit and receive
wavelengths (in opposite directions) over the same optical fiber.
The time and frequency information is transported from site to site over the midhaul and C-RAN fronthaul
networks—with time information carried via IEEE1588v2 PTP messages. Because this approach avoids
the variable latency and jitter of the switched data path, performance of the distribution network is
greatly improved. In addition, the other large source of time error—asymmetry in the fiber and transport
components—is effectively removed. This enhancement is achieved by using the bi-directional OTC,
where transmit and receive optical wavelengths propagate in opposite directions on the same fiber
(hence undergoing the same delay).
Figure 9 shows the OTC distribution network from the primary and secondary PRC/(PRTC+GM) to the macro
packet-optical platform, where the OTC time/frequency is adapted into the Fs-HL 10Gigabit Ethernet
data stream toward the radio head or RAU. Termination of the OTC on the packet-optical platform is on
a centralized CRU, which processes PTP and EEC/eEEC clocks from all service slots for the entire packet-
optical platform. The centralized CRU also provides time and frequency interfaces (1PSS/TOD and BITS)
toward RAN equipment.

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Figure 9. Highly accurate phase/time synchronization using 1588v2 over OTC

PTP functional card with T-BC

PTP slave T-TSC in RAU

PTP timing path over fiber, OTC channel (out-of-band with PTPIOC)
in ROADM rings or in-band over Ethernet, if not OTN/ROADM

BBU
Ethernet B&W RAC
pool
with PTP
RAU
GNSS
Ethernet B&W
with PTP 1830 PSS
RAU ROADM
ITU-T G.8272.1
C-RAN fronthaul ring Midhaul ring PRTC/T-GM
Ethernet B&W
with PTP
RAU

RAU Ethernet + PTP

1pps+ToD
or 1pps + ToD
ITU-T G.8273.2 T-BC ITU-T G.8273.2 T-BC
ITU-T G.8273.2 (future Class C) (future Class C)
T-TSC

Low latency surpassing IEEE standard theory

With migration to Ethernet fronthaul, new strict latency requirements are being imposed. For point-to-
point links, Nokia addresses these requirements with the 1830 Versatile WDM Module (VWM), which is
fully able to transport Ethernet with the lowest latency using WDM. For nodes where packet aggregation
is needed, the 1830 PSS can be equipped with integrated packet transport cards to provide low-latency
performance that is twice as good as IEEE 802.1Q theory requires. Figure 10 shows how the 1830 PSS
surpass the IEEE standard for all distances measured.
Figure 10.Nokia’s low-latency performance surpasses IEEE standard
Ethernet switch Fiber Uplink OTN/FEC

Distance between nodes

20km IEEE theory

20km Nokia IPT

10km IEEE theory

10km Nokia IPT Latency contributor for 1 hop,

measurement for maximum 1522 bytes,
5km IEEE theory 10GbE to 10GbE, FILO

5km Nokia IPT

1km IEEE theory

1km Nokia IPT

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

1-way latency (US)

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For highly sensitive applications, the solution offers a programmable fabric that permits flexible
configuration. It allows a direct point-to-point wavelength connectivity service through 1830 PSS nodes
(without intermediate O/E conversion), running between the macro site/C-RAN hub and mobile data center.
This configuration bypasses any intermediate nodes and minimizes latency.

High resiliency
At macro sites, Nokia optical equipment provides extended-temperature-range, low-cost, DWDM optical
filter technology, while at the C-RAN hub, it offers integrated, re-configurable DWDM units. Resiliency is
important for this segment of the network, because of the large “failure groups” involved and because the
physical infrastructure of the access/metro fiber plant undergoes constant churn. (A failure group relates
to the impact that a network failure will have on the end user. For instance, if a fronthaul fiber fails, a large
section of the RAN will be lost.)
Reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) modules at the C-RAN hub allow multiple
aggregation modes. These flexible modules also enable evolution from a cloud-based solution deployed
at the C-RAN hub initially, with gradual migration to a mobile data center deeper in the network over time.
As shown in Figure 11, resiliency is provided at either L0 (optical wavelength level) or L2 (ITU-T G.8032
Ethernet Ring Protection or MPLS-TP level). These capabilities enable 50ms restoration to meet strict
SLA requirements.
Figure 11. High resiliency – Carrier Ethernet or MPLS-TP

BBU
RAC
pool

1830 PSS
RAU ROADM
LAG
C-RAN fronthaul ring EPC MEC
Midhaul ring
5-8 nodes per ring
RAC BBU

MC-LAG
+ VRRP Mobile data center
Ring
MC-LAG
interconnection
node
RAU

G.8032 ERP sub-ring G.8032 major ring

or
G.8131 MPLS-TP linear protection
and PW redundancy

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Creating a dynamic, reconfigurable
optical network with carrier SDN
In a 5G environment, operators need to create flexible, scalable, and dynamically reconfigurable optical
networks for access, metro, and core networks. To help operators achieve this crucial goal, Nokia
offers a carrier SDN-enabled, “smart” programmable fabric that uses physical and virtualized transport
components, which can be controlled with software-defined networking principles and APIs. This smart
fabric provides a foundation for moving toward the next generation of mobile networks and enables
secure, dynamically interconnected services.
When combining carrier SDN and NFV, the underlying transport network becomes more agile and
responsive to changing requirements. Carrier SDN solutions automatically discover the network topology
and build an abstracted view of it. Based on the performance and characteristics of the physical nodes,
carrier SDN performs end-to-end computation and establishes an end-to-end Layer 2 VPN through the
network. These connections leverage the reconfigurable optical fabric—which is based on ROADMs—to
interconnect the network service access points. The connections may include either individual wavelengths
or groups of wavelengths to be directed from the optical domain into the electronic domain and vice versa.
As shown in Figure 12, the reconfigurable optical fabric permits the flexible configuration of a direct
point-to-point wavelength connectivity service between the macro site/C-RAN hub and mobile data
center. It achieves this without intermediate Optical-Electrical-Optical (OEO) conversion and bypasses
any intermediate nodes, while also providing diverse path redundancy for network resiliency. Optically
bypassing electrical switching nodes does not add any digital switching delay, so the optical layer offers
the lowest possible delay for delay-constrained applications. However, if the mobile data center is located
closer to the RAN edge, the optical network can be reconfigured as a multi-hop connection network—
trading off fiber latency against switching latency.
Figure 12. Optimizing performance for latency-constrained applications
Carrier SDN

High bandwidth Health Health Latency tolerant

Medium latency assisted assisted health assisted
Ultra-high reliability surgery surgery surgery application

Low bandwidth Time sensitive

Low latency Cloud Cloud
robotics robotics
cloud robotics
High reliability application

Packet bypass avoids intermediate OEO conversion

These flexible network configurations leverage many types of ROADM technology—ranging from fixed,
colored, and directional ROADMs to colorless, directionless, contentionless, and flexible grid (CDC-F)
ROADMs that enable fully flexible wavelength switching. They are all supported on Nokia optical offerings
and can be deployed together in a network. In addition, flexible optics with tunable wavelengths, variable
modulation formats and levels, and variable spectral width can optimize information rate vs. distance vs.
spectrum used—and thus adapt to changing traffic patterns and network degradations.

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Recent progress has been made toward standardizing Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) Layer 1 connectivity
services to augment MEF Ethernet services. As a result, the reconfigurable fabric can be shared to support
multiple 5G mobile operators with guaranteed throughput, latency, and resiliency SLAs that are suitable for
5G RAN flows.

Summary
Evolution to 5G enables operators to introduce a range of new applications and services, which will have
varying “real time” and “non-real time” transport requirements. In addition, it is likely that existing 3G and
4G services will continue to be supported on the same physical network. Therefore, access networks built
for fronthaul must now consider new proposed 5G interface requirements to protect network investments.
To meet these challenges, Nokia mobile transport solutions have been designed to address the following
key requirements:
• Minimum-latency, maximum-reach transport
• Multi-protocol/multi-service support
• High-capacity data-rate support
• Vendor-agnostic capabilities
• End-to-end architecture, including RAN and transport
• Full management across RAN and transport
• Common NMS platform across RAN and transport products
• Solution designed and available using state of the art technologies
Investing today in the physical access network to support “anyhaul,” which includes both real-time and
non-real-time protocols, maximizes the opportunity to re-use that same network investment for 5G
real-time services in the future.
A smart reconfigurable fabric underpins the transformation toward the next generation of mobile
networks. And it supports the specific scalability, flexibility, low latency, and stringent synchronization
requirements that next-generation services require.
If you need further information or have any questions, please contact us.

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Abbreviations
1PPS 1 Pulse Per Second
5G fifth-generation mobile networking
API application programming interface
BBU baseband unit
BH Backhaul
BITS Building Integrated Timing Supply
CDC-F colorless, directionless, contentionless and flex grid
CPRI Common Public Radio Interface
MPLS-TP Multiprotocol Label Switching – Transport Profile
NFV Network Function Virtualization
NGMN Next Generation Mobile Networks
OAM operations, administration, and maintenance
OBSAI Open Base Station Architecture Initiative
OEO Optical-Electrical-Optical
OPSA Optical Protection Switch equipped with an
Amplifier

C-RAN Centralized (or Cloud) Radio Access Network OTC Optical Timing Channel

CU Centralized Unit OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival

DU Distributed Unit OTN Optical Transport Network

EEC Ethernet Equipment Clock PGW Packet data network Gateway

eEEC enhanced Ethernet Equipment Clock PSS Photonic Service Switch

eNB Evolved Node B PTP Precision Time Protocol

EPC Evolved Packet Core PW pseudowire

ERP Ethernet Ring Protection QoS Quality of Service

Fs-HL high-latency functional split RAC Radio Access Controller

Fs-LL low-latency functional split RAN Radio Access Network

GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System RAU Radio Access Unit

HARQ hybrid automatic repeat request ROADM reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer

IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers RRH Remote Radio Head

IoT Internet of Things RTT Round Trip Time

IPT integrated packet transport RU Radio Unit

IQ In-phase Quadrature SGW Serving Gateway

LAG Link Aggregation Group SLA Service Level Agreement

LTE Long Term Evolution SyncE Synchronous Ethernet

MC-LAG Multichassis Link Aggregation Group TE Timing Error

MEC Mobile Edge Computing TSN Time Sensitive Networking

MEF Metro Ethernet Forum VRRP Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol

mMTC massive Machine Type Communications VWM Versatile WDM Module

MNO Mobile Network Operator WDM Wavelength Division Multiplexing

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Document code: SR1807027256EN (July) CID201375