White Box Routing for 5G Latency and Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
5G wireless standards require significant changes in access point site architectures, including disaggregation of the baseband unit into distributed and centralized units, which leads to increased costs and complexity, especially in meeting latency requirements due to the need for extensive cloud infrastructure that may not be geographically optimal.
Innovation Solution
A 'white box' system that integrates the functionality of multiple remote radio units (RRUs) and baseband units (BBUs) into a single device, capable of processing traffic from multiple transceivers and routing network traffic based on latency requirements, using virtual network functions to optimize cloud infrastructure utilization and reduce the need for new infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the baseband unit is disaggregated into distributed and centralized units as required by 5G standards, then the system can support next generation wireless functionality, but the device complexity and infrastructure costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple remote radio units and baseband units into a single integrated access point device. This merging approach maintains 5G functionality while reducing the architectural complexity of having separate distributed and centralized units, thereby resolving the contradiction between supporting next-generation wireless standards and managing device complexity
2Reliability
If extensive cloud infrastructure is deployed to meet latency requirements, then service quality can be maintained, but the cost and geographical constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
The access point performs preliminary routing determinations based on latency requirements before traffic reaches the cloud infrastructure. By making routing decisions at the edge device rather than relying solely on centralized cloud control, the system can meet latency requirements without deploying extensive cloud infrastructure, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and infrastructure complexity
3Device complexity
If multiple remote radio units are integrated into a single device, then infrastructure costs and maintenance complexity are reduced, but the routing decisions must be made more quickly to meet latency requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The access point autonomously performs routing determinations using local intelligence and latency data without requiring complex centralized control. This self-service approach enables fast routing decisions at the edge device, resolving the contradiction between infrastructure consolidation benefits and the time-critical nature of routing determinations
Data Source
AI summary
In 5G proposals, functionality of the BBU is disaggregated into a DU and a CU that handle BBU functionality according to different functional splits. A significant amount of cloud infrastructure is envisioned to be needed to implement several of the designated splits. An integrated device (e.g., white box) can integrate the functionality of multiple RRU (or NR in 5G) and the functionality of multiple BBU (or DU/CU splits in 5G). By performing a lightweight routing determination at the integrated device, requisite cloud infrastructure can be significantly reduced.