Performance Evaluation of Candidate Protocol Stack for Service-Based Interfaces in 5G Core Network

In recent years, the standardization and development about 5G network attract much attention. 3GPP officially confirmed Service-based Architecture (SBA) as the unified infrastructure for 5G core networks (5GC). Service-Based Interface (SBI) is an important component of SBA, used for interaction between Network Function services within 5GC. However, there is no concrete solution for protocol stack of SBI. Due to the fundamental change of core network architecture, the protocol stack used in EPC, such as Diameter/SCTP, is too heavy for the flexible architecture. It may not fulfill the requirements for 5GC. Another candidate solution is using the experience of web-based interaction design, which can provide flexible connection for services in distributed system. Compared to relatively fixed web service, 5GC needs to support diverging architectures for new services, which is more complex and challenging. In this paper, we discuss the requirements for protocol stack of SBI and compare candidate solutions in terms of characteristics and performance. We present a feasible solution that not only meets current requirements but also is fit for the further evolution of 5GC. Meanwhile, the experimental results indicate that our solutions have good performances.