5G Indoor Small Cell Daisy Chain for 4G Combo Backhaul
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Solution Overview
Problem
Upgrading 4G combo indoor small cells to 5G requires significant infrastructure changes, leading to high costs and time, necessitating a method to leverage existing infrastructure for both 4G and Wi-Fi support in 5G networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a daisy chain connectivity between 5G indoor small cells and 4G combo cells using VLANs for data and PTP synchronization, enabling dynamic bandwidth allocation and minimizing backhaul configuration changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If 4G combo indoor small cells are upgraded to 5G by replacing infrastructure, then 5G network capability is improved, but cost and deployment time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The 5G IDSC is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides 5G services directly while simultaneously acting as a backhaul router for 4G combo cells and Wi-Fi networks. This multi-functionality allows the system to upgrade to 5G without replacing existing 4G infrastructure, as the 5G IDSC can route traffic from both 5G and 4G devices through a single unit, thereby reducing deployment time and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The 5G IDSC serves as an intermediary device between the core network and legacy 4G combo cells. It implements a backhaul router that creates VLANs and tunnels to forward 4G traffic, allowing 4G devices to connect to the 5G core network without direct modification to the 4G radio infrastructure. This intermediary approach enables gradual migration to 5G while maintaining compatibility with existing devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If 4G combo indoor small cells are upgraded to 5G by replacing infrastructure, then 5G network capability is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The 5G IDSC consolidates multiple functions into a single device: 5G radio access, backhaul routing for 4G cells, Wi-Fi integration, and PTP synchronization. This eliminates the need to purchase and deploy separate infrastructure components for each function, significantly reducing the overall cost of 5G deployment while maintaining full 5G capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding existing 4G combo cells, the system recovers their utility by integrating them into the 5G network through the backhaul router. The 4G cells continue to serve 4G devices while being managed through the 5G IDSC, allowing the network operator to recover value from existing infrastructure investments rather than writing them off.
3Reliability
If VLANs are configured for data traffic, then network segmentation and security are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backhaul router creates separate VLANs for different traffic types: 5G data traffic, 4G data traffic, Wi-Fi traffic, and PTP synchronization traffic. This segmentation isolates traffic streams for improved security and reliability. The complexity is managed by providing automated configuration interfaces and standardized VLAN ID assignments, reducing the burden on operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The backhaul router acts as an intermediary that handles the complexity of VLAN configuration and tunnel management, shielding network operators from the intricacies of multi-VLAN setup. It automatically manages VLAN tagging, tunnel creation, and traffic routing between different VLANs, making the segmented architecture transparent to end users and simplifying operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a system and a method for network optimization. In particular, the present disclosure provides a fifth generation (5G) indoor small cell (IDSC) (604) with daisy chain to support backhaul connectivity of 4G combo IDSC (606), consisting of 4G radio access network (RAN) and Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point. The 5G IDSC (604) has one dedicated Ethernet/Optical port to connect the 4G combo IDSC (606). The 5G IDSC (604) bridges the data, control, and precision time protocol (PTP) signals from backhaul router (602), connected to 5G IDSC (604) Ethernet/Optical port, and re-route it to 4G combo IDSC (606) through dedicated Ethernet/Optical port.