5G User Plane Advances
Stefan Rommer, Aldo Bolle · Wiley 5G Ref · 2020
Abstract The explosive increase in the use of data in mobile networks has driven the introduction of a network architecture separating the Control Plane (CP) functions, handling the signaling between control functions in the network, and the User Plane (UP) functions, handling the user data packets. This journey started in 4G/EPS and has continued in 5G, fueled by a large variety of targeted use cases beyond traditional mobile broadband (MBB), such as IoT and vertical industry scenarios. Addressing these scenarios has resulted in advances of the 3GPP 5G System in respect to flexible Session Management and to mechanisms providing efficient UP paths such as differentiated session continuity modes, traffic breakout options, and enablers for Edge Computing. In addition, the 5G Quality of Service (QoS) model has been improved compared to previous generations of 3GPP systems to provide increased flexibility and reduced CP signaling. These User Plane advances, as well as enhancements and optimizations for small and infrequent data for massive IoT and for ultra‐reliable and low‐latency services, are presented in this article.