Mobile Backhaul

4.1 Mobile Backhaul Application

4.1.1 Backhaul Service

Radio network (together with the core network) offers a service that is accessible for users: a mobile voice call, or internet connectivity for a smartphone, as examples. For a functioning mobile network, a transport service is needed.

Transport service to the radio network is modeled in Figure 4.1 as:

• an integrated transport, which is implemented within a mobile network node, and
• a backhaul service, providing a service between the peer mobile network elements via the external physical interfaces of the mobile network elements and via the intermediate backhaul network.

Both integrated transport, and the backhaul service are required for serving the mobile network application.

Figure 4.1 Transport service.

In Figure 4.1, a transport service consisting of the integrated transport, and the backhaul service, is offered for the radio network layer. The access to the transport service is only available in the mobile elements and not in the intermediate transport network nodes. This is e.g. UDP/IP connectivity for radio network layer Frame Protocol packets with the specified delay, loss, etc. (3G example). Frame protocol over UDP/IP is then terminated at the peer mobile network element, not within the transport network nodes.

At the external interface of a mobile network node (e.g. a NodeB), a backhaul service provides connectivity ...