Access Network Service-Based Interfaces for Cloud-Native Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy access network (AN) designs with point-to-point interfaces lack flexibility, scalability, and cloud functionality, making it difficult to deploy new services, manage latency, and maintain systems in cloud environments.
Innovation Solution
Implement a service-based architecture (SBA) for access networks with service-based interfaces (SBI) to enable flexible service discovery, deployment, and consumption across domains, allowing for cloud-native protocols and improved scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a service-based architecture is implemented in access networks, then flexibility and scalability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access network is designed to function both as a service consumer (consuming services from core network) and as a service producer (producing services for core network and other access networks). This multi-functionality enables the access network to adapt to different roles and scenarios, improving flexibility while using standardized SBA components to manage complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The access network functionality is segmented into distinct service consumer and service producer components. This segmentation allows independent development, deployment, and management of different service functions, improving flexibility and scalability while organizing complexity into manageable segments.
2Ease of manufacture
If cloud-native protocols are adopted, then ease of deployment and maintenance are improved, but compatibility with legacy systems worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The service-based interface acts as an intermediary layer between cloud-native access network functions and legacy core network systems. This intermediary enables deployment of modern cloud-native protocols and services while maintaining compatibility with existing legacy systems through standardized service interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to dynamically adapt between different protocol requirements and operational modes. The access network can dynamically switch between serving as service consumer or service producer, and can adapt its interface behavior to work with both legacy and modern systems, ensuring compatibility while enabling easy deployment of new services.
3Productivity
If service-based interfaces are implemented, then service discovery efficiency is improved, but information processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The service-based interface enables automatic service discovery and registration mechanisms where access networks automatically publish their service capabilities to the core network and automatically discover required services. This self-service approach improves discovery efficiency while reducing manual information processing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The service-based architecture implements feedback mechanisms where service consumers and producers exchange capability information, availability status, and performance metrics. This feedback loop enables efficient service discovery and matching while optimizing information processing by only exchanging necessary service-related data.
Data Source
AI summary
It is provided a method comprising at least one of a) and b): a) monitoring whether a service request to produce a producer service is received and producing the producer service if the service request is received, wherein the producer service is a service produced by the access network; and b) consuming a producer service from a core network or an access network, wherein the producer service is consumed by an access network.