Sign in Subscribe

4g cups

Last updated on 

"4G CUPS" refers to the 4G Core (C) and User (U) Plane Separation architecture. This separation architecture is introduced to facilitate the evolution of mobile networks, primarily to support more advanced use cases and to improve scalability, flexibility, and efficiency. Let's delve into the technical details:

1. Background:

Before discussing CUPS, it's essential to understand the traditional architecture of 4G LTE networks.

In a typical 4G LTE architecture, both control plane (C-plane) and user plane (U-plane) functionalities are tightly coupled in the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPC contains various nodes, such as the MME (Mobility Management Entity), SGW (Serving Gateway), and PGW (Packet Gateway), among others.

2. 4G CUPS Architecture:

In the 4G CUPS architecture, the C-plane and U-plane functions are separated. This separation allows operators to scale and manage the control and user plane functionalities independently, providing flexibility and enabling more advanced use cases.

a. C-plane (Control Plane):

  • The C-plane handles control signaling, including session management, mobility management, authentication, and other control functions.
  • Functions previously residing in nodes like MME, SGW, and PGW in the traditional EPC architecture can be distributed across multiple nodes or centralized based on network requirements.
  • The C-plane functionalities are managed by entities such as the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and Session Management Function (SMF).

b. U-plane (User Plane):

  • The U-plane is responsible for data forwarding, which involves the transmission of user data packets between the UE (User Equipment) and the internet or other network destinations.
  • The U-plane functionalities are typically managed by entities like the User Plane Function (UPF). The UPF ensures efficient data forwarding without being burdened by control plane tasks.

3. Benefits of 4G CUPS:

  1. Scalability: With CUPS, operators can independently scale control and user plane resources based on traffic demands, ensuring optimal resource utilization.
  2. Flexibility: The separation allows operators to introduce new functionalities, services, or network elements in either the control or user plane without affecting the other.
  3. Efficiency: By separating control and user plane functionalities, operators can optimize network resources, reduce latency, and improve overall network performance.
  4. Advanced Use Cases: The 4G CUPS architecture provides a foundation for deploying advanced services like network slicing, edge computing, and IoT applications more efficiently.

4. Deployment and Evolution:

As operators transition to 5G networks, the concepts introduced by 4G CUPS evolve further. In 5G networks, similar separation concepts are extended and refined to support the diverse requirements and capabilities introduced by 5G technologies, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC).