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IUP: Integrated and Programmable User Plane for Next-Generation Mobile Networks

Chieh-Chun Chen, Chia-Yu Chang, Navid Nikaein

TL;DR

The paper addresses the inefficiencies arising from a fat Layer-2 RAN in 5G, proposing Integrated User Plane (IUP) that unifies UPF functionality into the RAN via the Integrated Data Flow Control (IDFC) sublayer. It introduces a three-stage, fully programmable traffic pipeline and two control-plane interfaces, enabling end-to-end programmability from IP flows to radio resources while maintaining compatibility with existing core-network control planes. The contributions include the architectural design of IUP, the IDFC-based traffic pipeline with six programmable rules, use-case analysis (handover, roaming, RAN disaggregation, backward compatibility), and an over-the-air PoC demonstrating ~50% reductions in latency and overhead along with seamless non-3GPP convergence. The work shows that IUP can simplify data delivery, reduce backhaul latency, and enable real-time, cross-layer optimization, offering a practical path toward universal connectivity across heterogeneous access technologies for future mobile networks.

Abstract

Mobile networks evolve on a regular basis to meet the requirements of a rapidly changing application ecosystem; hence, a future-proof design is key to getting the most out of their lifecycle. In comparison to other access networks, one major issue with the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) is that it behaves as a "fat Layer 2" entity, resulting in disparities in Internet Protocol (IP) flow traffic control and radio resource allocation. In this article, we propose an innovative design - Integrated User Plane (IUP) - that incorporates User Plane Function (UPF) functionalities into RAN, and we introduce the Integrated Data Flow Control (IDFC) sublayer with a new traffic management pipeline and various programmable rules. To understand its implications for crucial mobility user cases, a detailed analysis of how IUP interacts with Control Plane (CP) network functions is conducted. Finally, our IUP prototype shows benefits including a 50% saving in both latency and overhead, converged IUP and non-Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networks for seamless connectivity, and real-time UP programmability in both traffic control and resource allocation via the O-RAN framework.

IUP: Integrated and Programmable User Plane for Next-Generation Mobile Networks

TL;DR

The paper addresses the inefficiencies arising from a fat Layer-2 RAN in 5G, proposing Integrated User Plane (IUP) that unifies UPF functionality into the RAN via the Integrated Data Flow Control (IDFC) sublayer. It introduces a three-stage, fully programmable traffic pipeline and two control-plane interfaces, enabling end-to-end programmability from IP flows to radio resources while maintaining compatibility with existing core-network control planes. The contributions include the architectural design of IUP, the IDFC-based traffic pipeline with six programmable rules, use-case analysis (handover, roaming, RAN disaggregation, backward compatibility), and an over-the-air PoC demonstrating ~50% reductions in latency and overhead along with seamless non-3GPP convergence. The work shows that IUP can simplify data delivery, reduce backhaul latency, and enable real-time, cross-layer optimization, offering a practical path toward universal connectivity across heterogeneous access technologies for future mobile networks.

Abstract

Mobile networks evolve on a regular basis to meet the requirements of a rapidly changing application ecosystem; hence, a future-proof design is key to getting the most out of their lifecycle. In comparison to other access networks, one major issue with the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) is that it behaves as a "fat Layer 2" entity, resulting in disparities in Internet Protocol (IP) flow traffic control and radio resource allocation. In this article, we propose an innovative design - Integrated User Plane (IUP) - that incorporates User Plane Function (UPF) functionalities into RAN, and we introduce the Integrated Data Flow Control (IDFC) sublayer with a new traffic management pipeline and various programmable rules. To understand its implications for crucial mobility user cases, a detailed analysis of how IUP interacts with Control Plane (CP) network functions is conducted. Finally, our IUP prototype shows benefits including a 50% saving in both latency and overhead, converged IUP and non-Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networks for seamless connectivity, and real-time UP programmability in both traffic control and resource allocation via the O-RAN framework.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 21 sections, 6 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Implications and Benefits
  3. Reduced Protocol Overhead, Processing, and Latency
  4. Programmable User Plane & Simplified Control Plane
  5. Seamlessly Converged Network
  6. Summary
  7. IUP Architecture
  8. Integrated User Plane
  9. Traffic Management Pipeline and Programmable Rules
  10. Control Plane Interfaces
  11. Use Cases
  12. Handover
  13. Roaming
  14. RAN Disaggregation and Non-3GPP Interworking
  15. Backward Compatibility
  16. ...and 6 more sections

Figures (6)

  • Figure 1: From 5G disaggregated user plane deployment to IUP in next-generation mobile networks.
  • Figure 2: Architecture for 5G and IUP deployments: user data flows, programmable functions and rules, and control plan interfaces.
  • Figure 3: Comparison of 5G and IUP deployments in mobility scenarios: Xn-based handover with UPF reallocation and home-routed roaming.
  • Figure 4: Experiment setup and measured RTT between two UEs in three scenarios: (a) Local 5G, (b) Cloud 5G, and (c) Cloud IUP deployments.
  • Figure 5: Experiment setup and measured RTT between two UEs served by IUP and WFi AP respectively.
  • ...and 1 more figures