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5G Network as envisioned by KT - Analysis of

KT's 5G Network Architecture
November 03, 2015 | By Dr. Harrison J. Son and Dr. Michelle M. Do ([email protected])

I recently heard someone in the industry saying "While LG U+'s Vice President Sang-chul Lee is into IoT,
KT's Chairman Chang-kyu Hwang is so into 5G. Whatever solution you propose, if it is for KT, it has to
have "5G" in its title to, at least, get attention." Of the Korea's big 3 operators, KT has been most
aggressive in sharing its strategies, network architecture, core technologies, etc. related to 5G
throughout the year.

2015.10.07: Future network strategies for 5G service, DCC 2015

2015.09.17: KTs Perspective on 5G, 3GPP 5G RAN Workshop

2015.09.10: Innovations and Changes towards 5G, 5G vision forum

2015.07.16: KTs 5G Vision & Partnership towards 5G, MWCS 2015

2015.06.08: KTs View on IMT-2020, ITU-T FG on IMT-2020

As the company's big picture of 5G is getting pretty clear over time, it would be worthwhile to look into it
based on what has been shared so far.
1. Distributing 5G core close to cell sites: More core nodes in the edge
2. 5G RAN: Re-designing of C-RAN and Fronthaul
3. 5G access network to unify wireline and mobile access
4. Software-centric Architecture: 5G RAN and 5G core to be implemented as software on
commercial servers

Netmanias Tech-Blog: 5G Network as envisioned by KT - Analysis of KT's 5G Network Architecture

4G Network

5G Network
PDN

App.

Centralized 4G Core
Dedicated Equipment

PDN

MME
S/P-GW

NFV

PDN: IMS
PDN

PDN
Applications
5G Core (CP/UP)

Central Cloud (NFV)

Server
PDN

app./cache
5G Core (UP)
CU

app./cache
5G Core (UP)
CU

Backbone

Backbone
app./cache
5G Core (UP)
CU

Centralized 4G DU
Dedicated Equipment

Dedicated Access
(wireless, wireline)

PE
L3

IP
Ed
ge

DU Pool

BRAS
Internet

IP
Ed
ge

ge
Ed
IP

CU

OLT

Ethernet

Ethernet

(EPON/
10G-EPON)

Unified Access

CPRI

4G Fronthaul

ge
Ed
IP

app./cache

5G Core (UP)

Edge Cloud (NFV)

Distributed 5G Core

OLT

Dark Fiber or
Passive WDM

app./cache
5G Core (UP)
CU

CU: Cloud Unit

AU: Access Unit
CP: Control Plane
UP: User Plane

(PON)

5G Fronthaul
Macro AU
Small

Cell Site
Cell Site

5G AUAU

4G RU

4G Radio
2 antennas (RU)
20MHz, 10MHz
3-Band LTE-A (CA)

Wi-Fi
(hotspot)

Apartment

Fronthaul: CPRI Interface

PDCP

DU

RLC
MAC
PHY

IQ data

RU

Wi-Fi
(hotspot)

5G Radio
Massive MIMO
5G New RAT
mmWave
Massive Aggregation

Single
Home

Apartment

Fronthaul: New Interface (options)

CU

PDCP

PDCP
PDU

AU

RF

2015

AU

Single
Home

PDCP

PDCP

RLC

RLC
MAC

RLC
PDU

MAC
PDU

RLC
MAC

MAC

PHY

PHY

PHY

RF

RF

RF

2020

Figure 1. KT's 5G network architecture

1. Distributing 5G core close to cell sites: More core nodes in the edge
4G LTE network today can be divided into two parts: RAN (eNB) and core network (S/P-GW and MME),
and core network is in charge of mobility, authentication and charging. This means all mobile
communication traffic has to pass this core network to access services (i.e. Internet or operators'
application servers). Currently, KT's core nodes are located in two sites - in Guro and Hyehwa - both in
Seoul.
KT's plan for 5G is to distribute these core nodes to over tens of edge nodes that it is operating across the
nation. 5G core (or Mobile Core Unit as called by KT) is generally divided into MCU-UP (Core - User Plane)
in charge of bearer delivery, and MCU-CP (Core - Control Plane) in charge of control functions. According
to the KT's plan, MCU-CP will stay where it is - in the central cloud (NFV) - but MCU-UP will be distributed
to its tens of edge nodes nationwide and be installed in edge clouds (NFV).

Netmanias Tech-Blog: 5G Network as envisioned by KT - Analysis of KT's 5G Network Architecture

Then, why KT wants to distribute its 5G core, and turn its centralized core network into a flat and
distributed core network? Here is why.

If the core network where bearers are terminated moves down, close to cell sites, application
servers follow, naturally.

5G will allow everyone to communicate at the speeds of 1 Gbps, and thus traffic generated from
Radio Access Network will skyrocket. Once the core is distributed to local areas, and a variety of
associated application servers (e.g. video cache) are moved down along with it, backhaul traffic
will significantly decrease, thereby bringing down backhaul investment costs as well.

5G network is supposed to be able to provide ultra-real time services like real-time remote
control, auto-driving vehicle, etc. These types of services may cause much lesser traffic than
video, but require ultra-low delays - as low as just a few ms of end-to-end delays. These low
delays can also be achieved by moving core functions/units closest to users, and placing ultra-real
time service servers right where the core functions/units are located.

4G

5G
Applications
4G Core

Backhaul

Applications
5G Core (User Plane)
Edge Cloud

Figure 2. 5G era envisioned by KT - Core nodes (user plane) distributed to tens of edge nodes nationwide
Now, we wonder, "Then will all bearers be terminated at these distributed core units? And so the central
core network will no longer exist?" According to KT, not all application services will be served by
distributed core units, and where they are served will be determined in fact by what type of applications
are served.
The company confirmed, "For example, IMS service will continue to be handled by the central core while
ultra-real time services, like real-time remote control or auto-driving vehicle, and video cache will be
handled by distributed core units."
3

Netmanias Tech-Blog: 5G Network as envisioned by KT - Analysis of KT's 5G Network Architecture

So, MCU-CP and MCU-UP will stay in the central cloud, but MCU-UP will be distributed in edge clouds
across the nation as well.

2. 5G RAN: Re-designing of C-RAN and Fronthaul

In KT's LTE C-RAN, Digital Unit (DU) and Radio Unit (RU) are connected via dark fiber or passive WDM,
and the two units exchange data through CPRI interface. Currently, baseband signals, IQ data, are
transmitted between DU and RU, and this requires a tremendous CPRI capacity - over 16 times more than
delivered in the form of IP packets. (See Required CPRI link capacity in function of radio technologies).
Once 5G era begins and radio capacity expansion technologies like Massive MIMO, mmWave, New RAT,
etc. are used, CPRI capacity of tens or hundreds of Gbps will be required per RU (See Mobile Network
Architecture for 5G Era - New C-RAN Architecture and Distributed 5G Core).
To address surging costs of CPRI-based fronthaul to be caused because of drastically-increased ultra high
capacity of 5G base station, measures have been proposed: i) CPRI (IQ data) compression, ii) CPRI over
Ethernet, iii) Analog Radio over Fiber, and iv) function split between DU and RU, etc. KT is specifically
looking into the option No. iv) splitting functions between two units. According to a KT representative, KT
is now re-defining functions of DU and RU in the current C-RAN, particularly aiming to move baseband
functions originally handled by DU to cell sites, and is testing the 3 options shown in in Figure 1.
With baseband functions moving down to cell sites, KT now uses new terms Cloud Unit (CU) and Access
Unit (AU) instead of DU and RU. CU will be installed in edge clouds as virtualized software (commonly
known as vRAN) while AU will be installed in cell sites as hardware.

3. 5G access network to unify wireline and mobile access

One of the most noticeable 5G strategies by KT is aggressive unification (or integration) of wireline and
mobile access networks. KT is currently running E-PON for wireline access, and CPRI fronthaul for mobile
access. Wireline access network is a packet network that delivers Ethernet frames while mobile access
network is a circuit network that delivers CPRI frames. Then, the question here is how the two, packet
and circuit networks, will be unified? As we discussed in 2) above, future network in 5G era would be a
packet network between CU and AU, rather than CPRI network between DU and RU. I believe the unified
access network would be more like a new type of PON that delivers Ethernet frames. KT's master plan is
to aggregate all of its traffic, including those from home broadband, mobile cell site and enterprise,
through the unified access network.

Netmanias Tech-Blog: 5G Network as envisioned by KT - Analysis of KT's 5G Network Architecture

4. Software-centric Architecture: 5G RAN and 5G core to be implemented as

software on commercial servers
Another eye-catching 5G strategy of KT is introduction of software-centric architecture. This means 5G
RAN and core network functions are virtualized and implemented on commercial servers as software.
5G core can be divided into user plane and control plane. User plane is to be installed in edge clouds
across the nation while control plane is to be installed in the central cloud. Application servers are to
move down to edge clouds as well. Functions of DU and RU will be re-defined as those of CU and AU.
Software-based CU will be installed in edge clouds, but AU, based on hardware, will be installed in cell
sites.
In edge clouds, application/cache servers, user plane of 5G core, and CU of 5G RAN are all installed as
virtualized.
Everything, except for AU in cell sites, is software, and so works on virtualized servers, not on RAN
vendor-supplied dedicated equipment.

4G

Center node
Dedicated
equipment

5G

App.

Control Plane
4G Core

Splitting
core
functions
Distribution
of User Plane

5G Core (CP)
5G Core (UP)

Applications

5G Core (UP)
CU

DU

Splitting
functions
between
DU and RU

Commercial
server

Edge Cloud
(VM/NFV)
Commercial
server

PHY
etc.

Cell site
Dedicated
equipment

Central Cloud
(VM/NFV)

Distribution of
Applications

Edge node
Dedicated
equipment

Applications

Cell site
RU

AU

Dedicated
equipment

Figure 3. Cloudification of 5G RAN and 5G Core

5

Netmanias Tech-Blog: 5G Network as envisioned by KT - Analysis of KT's 5G Network Architecture

Following is an illustration of KT's technical concept on how to control clouds (central and edge), unified
wireline and mobile access network, and backbone network, by using respective SDN
controllers. Although not very detailed as not much information has been disclosed yet, the following
illustration should help to understand the big picture that KT is trying to paint.

5G Service Portal
Open API (North Interface)

5G Service Managing Layer

Health

Energy

Media

Security

Transport

OSS/
BSS

5G Infrastructure Control and Monitoring Layer

Infrastructure Orchestrator
Access SDN

Flow SDN

Cloud SDN

Open API (South Interface)

Edge Cloud

Core Cloud

Home

Applications
5G Core (UP)
CU

FT
TH

Wi-Fi
(hotspot)
Macro

Backbone Network

FTTA
AU

Small

Cell Site
AU

AU

Applications
5G Core (CP)
5G Core (UP)

OLT

Access Network

5G AU

Figure 4. KT's software-centric architecture for 5G

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