IEEE - The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers@ Inc.
Scope
This standard specifies: a) Architecture for the transport of mobile fronthaul traffic (e.g.@ Ethernet-based)@ including user data traffic@ and management and control plane traffic. b) Requirements and definitions for the fronthaul networks@ including data rates@ timing and synchronization@ and quality of service (QoS). The standard also analyzes functional partitioning schemes between remote radio units (RRUs) and baseband units (BBUs) that improve fronthaul link efficiency and interoperability on the transport level@ and that facilitate the realization of cooperative radio functions@ such as massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) operational modes@ coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission and reception. Purpose The fronthaul packet transport standard enables the implementation of critical 5G technologies@ such as massive MIMO@ CoMP transmission and reception@ and scalable centralized/virtual radio access network (C-RAN/V-RAN) functions. This standard simplifies network design and operation@ increases network flexibility and resource utilization@ and lowers cost by leveraging existing@ mature packet-based solutions (e.g. Ethernet) for vital functions@ such as QoS@ synchronization@ and data security. The fronthaul architecture provides unified management and control solution@ common networkingprotocols@ and universal network elements@ thus facilitating migration to future C-RAN/V-RAN mobile networks. This standard improves bandwidth efficiency@ network scalability@ timing and synchronization performance@ and preserves and enhances the ability to deploy cooperative radio modes.