Enabling Multicast and Broadcast in the 5G Core for Converged Fixed and Mobile Networks

The fifth generation of cellular technologies, 5G, promises to deliver a wide variety of services. However, the first release of 5G (3GPP Rel-15) did not consider multicast capabilities in the 5G system including both access and core networks. This article fills the gap by describing solutions for 5G mobile core network architecture incorporating multicast and broadcast capabilities. Two innovative solutions to provision multicast and broadcast, based on 3GPP Rel-15 arechitecture, have been proposed and analyzed. One is 5G architecture friendly with low imprint over Rel-15 while the other is based on the evolution of LTE Broadcast architecture. The architectural solutions feature two new main transmission modes: transparent multicast transport and point-to-multipoint services. The former enables the 5G network as a network pipe supporting multicast traffic providing a cost-effective delivery mode for multimedia while the latter enables multicast and broadcast as a service. The paper also presents a convergent fixed wireline and mobile network architecture based on the proposed mobile network architecture altenatives. The proposed architecture alternatives are suitable for different verticals and applications such as Digital Terrestrial Television, Public Warning, Internet of Things, V2X (vehicle to everything) and mission critical communications (MCC).