5G multi-RAT multi-connectivity architecture

The 5th generation of mobile networks is envisioned to unify different access types under one system in order to enable efficient and performant operations. We propose a radio network architecture for tight integration of multiple radio access technologies supporting traffic steering, link selection, and aggregation of traffic flows from and to different sources. This enables the radio network architecture to support better throughput, and increased reliability with different levels of mobility. Specifically, we propose a common user plane and control plane across different radio technologies utilizing similar principles, such that the joint operation of radio technologies can be optimized.