Simplification as design principle for 5G: A native IP data plane for a lean packet system

The ambitious objectives of the 5th Generation (5G) mobile communications subtend a profound change in the way mobile networks are designed, both in the infrastructural aspects and in the operational protocols. Network slicing is considered as a promising deployment option to enable tailored and logically separated resources and value-enabled platforms to the vertical industries. This paper introduces the concept of a lean packet system in support of a tailored and flexible data plane to better align the provisioned network (slice) with the requirements of the vertical industry. The described solution provides a great match between deployment flexibility, resources utilization and routing efficiency. The design of an experimental testbed is described and results from an experimental evaluation of routing efficiency against alternative solutions confirm the value of our concepts.