Summary
This chapter focused on transport services that are essential for establishing end-to-end connectivity within an MCN.
The following technologies and services were discussed in this chapter:
Components of an end-to-end 5G transport service
The use of virtual private networks (VPNs) in a service provider environment and their relevance to enable mobile services in an MCN
Point-to-point Layer 2 VPN services and their applications, benefits, and limitations
The use of Multipoint Layer 2 VPN services such as Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS), Hierarchical VPLS (H-VPLS), and the MEF services
An overview of BGP-based Layer 3 VPNs and their benefits over traditional Layer 2 VPNs in an MCN
The drivers for Ethernet VPN (EVPN), its operations, and its applicability for transport services, providing flexible, scalable, and versatile VPN services for Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity
The use of Virtual eXtensible LAN (VXLAN) in data centers, its lack of a control plane, and its augmentation with EVPN to provide a flexible MAC-learning mechanism, thus providing an effective Layer 2 overlay using an IP underlay
The use of L2VPN, L3VPN, and EVPN to implement O-RAN-specified management, control, and user planes in an MCN
The synchronization plane (S-Plane), unlike the M-, C-, and U-Planes, does not use the VPN services defined in this chapter. Instead, the S-Plane is implemented through additional protocols running natively on the underlying transport infrastructure. Chapter 9, “Essential Technologies for 5G-Ready Networks: Timing and Synchronization,” will focus on the concepts of timing, synchronization, and clocking, which are important to understand in an effort to implement S-Plane and, subsequently, mobile services.