Microwave Network Evolution

Software Defined Networking and a Layer 3 VPN Vision

White paper

This paper sets out the challenges faced by operators as they evolve their microwave
transport networks from an already complex environment to support dramatically
increasing capacity, connectivity and other performance demands. These demands are
placed against the constant need for greater flexibility and investment optimization. The
paper describes, develops and compares a number of possible solutions. Particular focus
is given to leveraging software defined network capabilities for Layer 3 virtual Private
Networking functionality. This is investigated in some detail.
 Contents

Market trends 3
Operator challenges 4
Technology Overview (Why L3VPN, Why SDN) 5
Software Defined Networking (SDN) 5
Layer 3 Virtual Private Networks (L3VPN) 6
Network Evolution Options 8
Router-based solution description 9
Microwave and SDN 11
Solution comparison 16
Conclusion 18
Further reading and references 19
Abbreviations 19

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Market trends
The continuous mobile data traffic increase (30-45 fold in the period 2014 -2020) [1]) and the connection
of 50 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices by 2025 [1] require operators to rethink operational and
existing transport network architecture aspects.
Today’s mobile transport networks are a function of previous RAN technology shifts. The biggest impact
on the transport architecture has been the migration of WCDMA ATM Iub to IP Iub and the introduction
of LTE. Recently, routing capabilities being brought closer to the base station site has in general been
accepted to improve latency (e.g., X2 traffic transport). To cope with the transport technology shift (TDM,
ATM to IP/Ethernet), operators have not only to invest in transport equipment but also in technology skills
for its operations.
The introduction of 5G and the related network slicing capabilities will drive further densification of the
network and therefore increase the number of service access points, creating a need for mesh connectivity
transitioning from a predominantly hub and spoke access topology environment. The operation of virtual
network slices will require movement to digital operations using Software-Defined Networking (SDN) i.e. to
provide network programmability.
Around the time of this publication approximately 55% of BTS’s are connected via microwave [2]. This
transport technology will continue to play a vital role in mobile transport networks even though fibre will be
utilized increasingly closer to the ‘first mile’.
Currently microwave networks consist mainly of hybrid and packet microwave with Ethernet switching
capabilities. As investment protection is key, newly deployed microwave systems should be capable of
supporting a smooth transition to the next technology level.
The introduction of 5G requires simplified operation enabling new revenue streams based on fast service
deployment with a shorter life cycle, hence creating the demand for digital operations.
Operators are working on evolved transport network strategies, considering the many lessons of previous
technology shifts.
This whitepaper discusses different microwave transport solutions given the trend of digital operation and
the demand for transport routing capabilities within microwave technology.

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Operator challenges
In the next 4 to 5 years, operators will see backhaul transformation and ‘renovation’ driven by RAN
evolution to 5G. The never-ending increase in demand for capacity and reduced latency and jitter will be
the most debated set of KPIs for all evolution plans.
How much more stringent the operator expectations for these KPIs will be will closely depend on the
choice of either Cloud RAN or Distributed RAN architecture but in both cases, capacity and latency/jitter
will be the top challenges of future transport network.
Along with these primary challenges, there are others that may need consideration in strategic evolution
plans.
• Converged networks and the transition to IP for the transport supporting the Network Slices concept
–– CSPs can afford less and less the Flat-Ethernet-VLAN framework widely deployed in the past years
–– Ethernet Carrier Aggregation and MPLS-TP offered a step towards providing OAM tools and the fast
detection missing in a flat-VLAN-framework, but has been unable to offer the IP-routing capability
increasingly needed in mobile backhaul.
• Meshed (or partially meshed) topologies
–– CSPs will grow their network by building new Microwave links, creating new connections among
existing fiber PoPs and increasing Fiber PoP counts
–– As an inevitable consequence, these new connections of sites will generate a converged infrastructure
that makes a meshed topology more and more popular
–– IP Routing, not only because of X2-interface dialog between eNodeBs, will be the cornerstone of an
efficient and engineered meshed transport
• Traffic Engineering (TE)
–– while some TE options have been standardized and developed at Layer 2, these technologies have
not displaced TE at Layer3, which has strengthened its market position in the last 3-5 years
–– service re-routing, sometimes referred to as service steering, requires changes to the end-to-end
path. This is achievable only by adopting routing functions inside the transport node and with metric
constraints signaled at the IP layer, thanks to IP layer end-to-end visibility
• Reduced Service Activation (from days to hours to minutes) and more Automation
–– While currently new service or new eNodeB activation can take up to some days before being
completed, such lead times will no longer be affordable to maintain CSP business success
–– A soft-wise mechanism, or rather a software mechanism, is conceivable making new service
instantiation at the “speed of a click”
The usual operator business pressures will be present as a backdrop to any technical aspect mentioned
above. Operators will carefully evaluate how to spend their budget during backhaul network upgrading.
Both CAPEX and OPEX dimensions will be considered because, while a program of network renovation is an
expensive mission over multiple years, it is also likely that a CSP will have to manage this investment within
the constraints of their normal annual budget.
Telecom vendors have hence the goal to provide innovative and technologically advanced solutions at
contained TCO to match CSP budget plans.

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Microwave solutions deployed together with 3G and the early stage of 4G, probably more than other
transport technology, will be impacted by network transformation. A huge amount of Microwave links
currently in service will inevitably be replaced over time in favor of new Microwave solutions designed
for 5G.

Technology Overview (Why L3VPN, Why SDN)

Software Defined Networking (SDN)
Software-defined networking is driving significant changes in the way networks are built and operated
today and in the future. Operators can create, manage, optimize and terminate functions and services
across the network at will and without boundaries within the transport network. This also means that
transport networks become more agile, scalable and responsive to fast changing requirements. Carrier
SDN solutions will bring these capabilities.
The main characteristics implemented in SDN are:
• Separation of control plane from the forwarding plane
• Centralized control plane in a logical separate entity (SDN Controller), allowing implementation of end-
to-end forwarding policies
• Controller offers a North Bound Interface (NBI) allowing applications to program network services
via network APIs. Automatic and dynamic programming of network services allowing modification,
optimization and on-demand consumption of network resources
• Control and forwarding functions implement NBI and SBI suitable for multivendor deployments using
standard and vendor’s protocols

Figure 1. Principles of Software Defined Networking

2 © Nokia 2018

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Layer 3 Virtual Private Networks (L3VPN)
Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are an efficient way to connect sites on a provider transport network.
Service providers offer multiple VPN services to their subscribers using a common transport infrastructure.
The subscriber perceives its own VPN service as similar to a leased physical connectivity without any
interference from other existing VPNs. At the same time, service providers can deploy an optimized
transport infrastructure that can be shared virtually and privately by several subscribers.
This type of technology is widely adopted: its application spans from providers offering connectivity
services to multiple customers, to mobile backhauling networks where a single operator exploits VPNs to
instantiate multiple services (e.g., mobile user plane, control plane, management plane, …).
There are multiple types of VPN with different features in terms of topology (point-to-point or meshed)
and type of service provided (Layer 2 Ethernet service or Layer 3 IP service):
• Point-to-point VPN also known as Pseudowire or VPWS (Virtual Private Wired Service)
• L2VPN or VPLS (Virtual Private LAN Service)
• L3VPN or VPRN (Virtual Private Routed Network)
In a L3VPN, customer edge nodes communicate one another through IP traffic. Provider edge routers
instantiate a separate routing function for each customer (VRF – Virtual Routing and Forwarding instance)
with all the routing information necessary to route customer traffic to the destination.
The benefit of using Layer3 in a transport networks comes from the high level of flexibility and scalability
that this type of service can offer. Those advantages from the transport perspective can be coupled
together with SDN technology to offer the best service fulfillment capabilities.
Let’s consider some examples of backhaul network scenarios and explore the advantages of L3 technology.
Any-to-any connectivity
This capability is more and more necessary in mobile transport (e.g., X2 service among base stations) and
5G introduction and small cells adoption will increase this need.
This type of topology could be supported with Layer2-based services but, considering a point-to-point
approach, the operator would be forced to create as many service as the combinations of the peering
base station: the RAN addressing scheme and transport resources required would be operationally
unmanageable.
A multipoint Layer2 solution is an alternative solution: it simplifies the deployment but is highly inefficient
due to the amount of traffic broadcasted. Network resources consumption is out of control because traffic
destined for a specific location is flooded towards all the other endpoints of the network.
With a L3VPN type of service, it’s possible to create a multiple point communication channel keeping the
traffic forwarding under control due to precise routing towards the destination. Additionally, fully meshed,
hub & spoke or partially meshed services can be deployed flexibly and dynamically, changing the routing
information distribution.

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High density and site extension deployments
The network densification trend is a reality and the introduction of 5G leverages the deployment of a
dense access network to increase coverage and throughput. On top of this, one of the most common
scenario is the deployment of additional access points in an already existing ultra-dense network.
L2 services have limited features to cope with this application: point-to-point services are of course
unmanageable due to the network complexity as are the amount of error prone and resource consuming
operations required to establish a new site connection to all the existing ones. In case of LAN, beside the
inefficiency and unpredictability aspects described before, there is an IP addressing allocation problem.
All the RAN access points require an IP address and, in case of L2 LAN, they are forced to share the same
subnet to communicate with one another. This requirement forces the operator to allocate, from the
beginning, a subnet size wider than that necessary one to be ready for future expansions. It’s not easy to
identify the right tradeoff, ie. avoiding inefficient address sizing and preventing future impediments due to
address saturation. A change in the network addressing would require a service affecting re-provisioning of
access interfaces.
L3VPNs can route the traffic among different subnet, thus the site extension scenario is easily
accomplished, assigning a new IP address to the site and provisioning all the other end-points with routing
information to reach the destination.
Gateway mobility
Huge throughputs and low-latency requirements trigger a shift of the network intelligence and content
storage to the edge of the network. Edge cloud technology supports this evolution allowing VNF (Virtual
Network Function) deployments. VNF lifecycles can be variable and their locations might change over time.
This dynamic displacement creates the need to support gateway mobility.
As for previous scenarios, L2 technology offers solutions at the extremes of operational boundaries: fixed
deterministic point-to-point service or unpredictable multipoint-to-multipoint connections.
L3VPNs satisfy all the requirements for the achievement of dynamic VNFs. Again, leveraging L3 routing
(and SDN programmability as we will see), the VNF lifecycle can be orchestrated and, at the same time, the
necessary service provisioning to steer the traffic to the new destination can be distributed automatically
to the relevant edge routers (no other operations necessary in the remaining network infrastructure).
Access/aggregation domain inter-working
Finally, mobile backhaul aggregation and core networks are typically based on IP/MPLS technologies and
L3VPN type of services.
Access networks might represent a discontinuity since they are generally L2-based.
Deploying L3 services end-to-end across a network is significantly better than stitching L2 services into
L3 services, because it provides the operator a homogeneous technology among the network boundaries
(e.g., important for troubleshooting, network design).
SDN paves the way for an automated service deployment abstracting any L3 technical complexity to the
user.

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 Network Evolution Options
Figure 2: Network evolution options in backhauling

Last Mile Aggregation Regional/Core

L2 Carrier
Ethernet

IP/MPLS
Mobile Core

IP/MPLS
SDN Controller

SDN option IP/MPLS services

edge nodes

In current network architectures, microwave access domains are mainly built with Carrier Ethernet L2
equipment for cost and simple topology reasons. Aggregation and core domains are often fiber based and
© 2018mainly
Nokia built with router equipment. Nokia internal use

Let’s review the possible network evolution options to supports routing capabilities closer to the base
stations.
Continue with Carrier Ethernet
This approach results in simple microwave connectivity where Carrier Ethernet capabilities are still
sufficient for the time being and the benefit of traffic engineering or end-to-end IP OAM capabilities do
not justify the investment in Layer3 devices.
Continuing with pure Carrier Ethernet capabilities only may however uncover a risk at the end. The increase
of fiber Points of Presence and therefore the IP/MPLS penetration into the access may force re-planning
and re-investment around what was done only a few years before.
In all cases where Carrier Ethernet capabilities appear sufficient, it is highly recommended to adopt
as a minimum, microwave devices which are Layer3 hardware capable, i.e. to minimize the cost of re-
engineering the solution in a later stage.

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Router-based IP/MPLS
In today’s networks, Cell Site Routers (CSR) are often used to create an overlay IP/MPLS network ensuring
end-to-end transport consistency. In the case of microwave access networks, this results in a ‘double
investment’ of sorts, i.e. of collocated router and microwave indoor units. Using routers as microwave
indoor units instead and connecting a microwave full outdoor radio to the router’s ethernet interface, can
result in some attractive CAPEX/OPEX savings.
The adoption of this approach is growing, especially where TDM interfaces are no longer present at the cell
site, but not at a speed that makes microwave indoor units obsolete or unnecessary in future. Full outdoor
microwave solutions may not necessarily offer all radio configurations requested i.e. protection schemes,
space diversity and other microwave-specific features not easily adoptable by IP routers.
Microwave SDN Layer3
Whenever the microwave domain is more than a single hop point-to-point link topology, a routing
capability can be introduced via a microwave SDN L3 approach. This solution provides smooth network
evolution as it allows introduction of L3 services at the desired time, coexisting with previously deployed
Ethernet and TDM services.
Once the L3VPN functions are activated by the SDN controllers, service routing and end-to-end
service management capabilities will be available, avoiding the need for “Overlay IP/MPLS” deployment
architectures.
An operator can now take advantage of the deployment flexibility, ie. activating a L3 solution only when
needed, by choosing a futureproof hardware that makes this smooth evolution possible.
The L3VPN is only one specific use case of a broader SDN network architecture. The microwave SDN L3VPN
solution is described in detail in a later chapter.

Router-based solution description

The combination of CSR (cell site routing) and full outdoor microwave is a familiar option which has been
utilized for almost 10 years. This solution is based on routers as demarcation points for any services; the
uplink for such a site is a microwave link.
Full outdoor microwave capabilities have evolved over time, but since the beginning it has been key to
make microwave links “fiber-like”. In fact, the success of this solution was and still is to have the router
deployed in same way irrespective of whether a fiber or microwave uplink technology is used.
To achieve this goal two major features have been developed over the years by vendors:
• Ethernet link shutdown to reflect towards router, the temporary unavailability of microwave links.
• The Y.1731 Bandwidth Notification Message to signal the variable microwave capacity primarily due to
adaptive code modulation running on microwave devices.
While in the past microwave offered some hundreds of Mbps, microwave now offers multiple Gbps. E-Band
already supports tremendous capacity and progressively traditional bands are providing both larger
channels (e.g., 110/112 MHz), and the additional possibility of combining E-Band with traditional bands in
a same link ‘pipeline’, leveraging a carrier aggregation mechanism.

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Such an increase in throughput of all-outdoor microwave solutions introduces the need for increased
speed of a router’s Ethernet port. While GE ports can be regarded as ‘commodity’ in cost terms, 10GE
ports while now widely available on routers, are still offered at a price premium. Other aggregation and
nodal capabilities that could be needed in microwave transport architectures are not widely available on
routers and would need time and effort to be implemented and become mature enough to meet customer
networks requirements.
Consequently, there will be operators who will continue adopting 10G cell site routers, no matter how much
it may cost to provide a layer 3 device with several 10G ports, while others will adopt a less expensive 10G
multiport microwave indoor unit, limiting the amount of CSR 10G ports.

Figure 3: Microwaves complementing the router-based solution

Note in any case that the router portfolio must be considered as part of SDN supporting automation and
optimization use cases.

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Microwave and SDN
The introduction of SDN should not be considered as a disruptive revolution, but more as an evolution of
existing technologies adding additional applications based on operator needs. Service providers want to be
sure that management system and transport equipment adopted now can sustain the evolution required
in the future.
The microwave SDN solution gives the control plane/forwarding plane SDN principle a broader scope:
besides the forwarding domain, the control plane running in the SDN controller has the full knowledge of
the microwave resources and states, allowing automated and optimized actions in all network domains.
Centralization and multi-technology support are key aspects to accomplish service instantiation and
network optimization, with a holistic approach leveraging the awareness of the entire network resources
across domains and technologies.
Additionally, through the support of virtual environments, control plane processing capabilities can be
efficiently instantiated and scaled depending on deployment needs.
SDN L3VPN services
According to the control plane/forwarding plane SDN principle, the L3VPN protocol stack is moved into
the SDN controller which signals routing information into the network. SDN agents on microwave nodes
populate forwarding tables without the need to implement the full set of IP/MPLS control plane protocols
(e.g., BGP, LDP, …) in the microwave node.
L3 services can coexist (in the same node and in the same interface) with L2 and TDM flows. This is an
important benefit for smooth migration from existing network deployments to new ones requiring new
service models.
The picture below shows the implementation principle of this feature:

Figure 4: Layer 3 services implementation through SDN agents

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The service fulfillment operation is available directly through the SDN controller GUI or NBI providing
service requests and relevant parameters (e.g., service end-point, access interface IP addresses and
netmask, QoS). The SDN controller evaluates the best path, creates the transport infrastructure and
configures edge nodes with the VRF routing information.

Figure 5: L3VPN activation in the microwave nodes

The end-to-end service fulfillment is applicable also to a multi-domain scenario with a microwave network
connected to an IP/MPLS domain with routers and optical equipment. Multi-domain management allows
the operator to create a service instance between end-points belonging to different domains. The
deployment process is completely automated for intra- and inter-domain service configurations.
Specific control plane functions in the nodes are necessary for the management of redundant network
topologies (meshed and ring). Carrier-grade requirements, especially for traffic restoration in complex
network topologies (i.e., meshed and ring), require fast fault detection and fast restoration capabilities in
the nodes and, as a consequence, a specific part of control plane function needs to be embedded.
Other SDN Use cases
SDN will be the basis for the implementation of various use cases addressing different service
requirements.
Service automation
Service deployments become dynamic, service requirements challenging and network resources limited. It
is vital to implement a service automation capability in the transport network.

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In a nutshell, automation and abstraction provides service fulfillment simplification to the user: the
operator defines the mandatory service requirements (e.g., end-points, interface parameters, bandwidth,
latency, …) and the SDN controller evaluates the best way to instantiate the service considering the
network resource constraints and impacts on existing services. As an alternative scenario, an existing
network can be extended with a new site automatically deploying required services based on specific
policies.
The network complexity should no longer be of concern for the user in charge of dealing with an intent-
based service configuration.
Service and network optimization
Once services are created, additional capabilities are necessary to monitor service performance, to check
in real-time whether they match service level agreements and act to re-optimize the transport network.
From a broader perspective, the optimization process can be applied at network level to verify if there are
inefficient resources allocated.
Depending on the process complexity, specific actions could be required of the user (i.e., notification,
controller solution processing and proposal, operator selection and commit) or be completely automated.
From an architectural perspective, the optimization framework requires three elements in the controller:
• network monitoring capabilities
• optimization processes
• capability to act to apply an optimization decision
One example of service optimization is the traffic re-routing scenario. In the nominal case (figure
reference), a service is transported through an LSP passing through a microwave backbone. Service and
link performance is monitored run-time and whenever they are outside the expected values (e.g., radio link
throughput decrease due to adaptive modulation changes) the SDN controller evaluates the best path to
steer part of the service away from the microwave branch and deploy the new configuration automatically.

Figure 6: Traffic re-routing with the SDN controller

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Network slicing
Network slicing architectures will be introduced with 5G. Network resources, both VNF (virtual network
function) and transport network, can be shared by different services. The network is virtually sliced in
several, independent logical resources that can accommodate multiple application fulfilment requests at
the same time.
A virtualized microwave anyhaul transport service can be introduced using SDN capabilities.
In a typical virtualized environment, the host provides HW/SW resources to one or more guests (memory,
CPU, storage, interfaces).
Guests are independently and privately running their applications.
A hypervisor arbitrates and enforces guests’ resource requirements.
In a similar way, the microwave network (and from a broader perspective the entire transport network)
makes available physical resources such as throughput, links with different reliability levels, links with
different latencies, and security capabilities.
Network slices require several combinations of transport parameters based on the application they need
to serve.
The SDN controller acts as a hypervisor to allocate transport resources properly leveraging service
automation capabilities (e.g., instantiation of L3VPN services according to network slices’ requirements).

Figure 7: Transport resources allocation and service automation via the SDN controller

Guest Guest … Guest

Hypervisor

Memory Host Interfaces

CPU Storage Virtualized microwave

anyhaul transport

Network
Slice
Network
Slice
… Network
Slice

Carrier SDN controller

Throughput Microwave anyhaul transport

Security

Reliability Latency

1 © Nokia 2016

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Network slicing requires extreme capabilities in terms of service automation and optimization. Such a
dynamic environment is something that a human being is not able to manage due to the complexity of the
network slicing allocation and the service life-cycle speed required.

Figure 8: Network slicing for different user groups

Considering a scenario requiring the creation of a network slice for an ultra-low latency application, the
service automation algorithm can benefit from the presence of radio carrier aggregation (i.e., traditional
and E-Band channels aggregated together) to allocate the service to the E-Band channel. Other services,
not requiring low latency performance, are allocated by the SDN controller to the load balancing algorithm
to efficiently exploit the Carrier Aggregation bandwidth.

Figure 9: SDN controlled automatic load balancing between aggregated bands

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Solution comparison
Let us compare the native IP/MPLS (Router-based) and Microwave SDN solutions in more detail,
considering technical, operational and economical aspects.
Technically relevant aspects for the solution comparison are interoperability and scalability.
Programmability is a clear advantage of the SDN solution. Linking it to a concrete example emphasizes the
importance of the future readiness and additional challenges of interoperability.
Interoperability
A distributed control plane relies on the capability of each network element to signal and retrieve
information through dedicated protocols.
Even though these mechanisms are based on standard protocols, interoperability issues could be seen
due to vendor-specific development choices or due to interpretation of standards descriptions. The risk is
increased by the number of protocols that are required in common deployments.
With a centralized control plane, network specific interoperability aspects are reduced to the forwarding
plane (i.e., packets encapsulated shall be standard and recognized by every node) and to the management
interface between the SDN controller and the SDN agent.
Interoperability complexity doesn’t magically disappear in SDN transport networks: most of it moves in
fact from the network to the control environments. Several SDN architectures are based on hierarchical
structures. Multiple SDN controllers deal with specific domains, vendors and technologies. A hierarchical
controller at a higher level coordinates their operations. In this context new interoperability challenges
arise; but they can be addressed efficiently due to the centralized nature of the SDN control plane.
Programmability
What if, for a future application, the path between nodes is to be selected with a new traffic engineering
criterion, e.g. something beyond the number of hops or link capacity. Latency is an example applicable to
new 5G deployments for instance.
Assuming a distributed control plane, any new traffic engineering evolution must be embedded in the
node processing and most probably in signaling protocols as well.
SDN programmability allows changing of the processing in the SDN controller and updating of the network
behavior with a reduced time to market, avoiding interoperability problems within the signaling protocols.
This aspect can be extended to other use cases as well.

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Scalability
Control plane resource requirements represent a key aspect for product positioning in a transport network.
A node’s performance scales with the number of protocols required and the size of the network a specific
node is part of.
In the case of a centralized control plane, scalability is strictly associated with the forwarding plane and its
capability to host the necessary information in the forwarding tables. All the remaining scalability issues
are moved to the SDN controller which, being deployed in a virtual environment, can increase or reduce the
performance footprint based on real needs.
It’s important to ensure future scalability aspects considering the increasing densification of the access
networks: multiple end-points will be interconnected by multiple services whose number will increase due
to network slicing introduction.
Simplicity
With reducing node complexity (less control plane functionality), operational aspects are made easier:
less parameters to be configured in the node, reduced amount of risks during protocol operations make
troubleshooting easier.
In fact, SDN solutions leave microwave equipment unaffected. Operators chose whether or not to activate
L3VPN functionality, but when this is done, it is not necessary to have additional skilled personnel to
provision the L3VPN. The squad in charge of installation and commission does not necessarily need to add
skills nor to be OS-certified as generally required for routers. Hence, having the SDN controller as the entry
point for all operations, the user can deal with a single interface, speeding up the operation and setting up
L3VPNs as simply as few clicks directly in central office.
Economic aspects
IP/MPLS routers have a higher market price than microwave indoor units obviously for the reason that they
are designed for different application than Microwave, and also because a router is far richer in protocols.
As such, the figure below does not focus on price aspects but on microwave versus transport capabilities.

Figure 10: Microwave and transport capabilities of the different node types

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A regular Ethernet based microwave product has for example limited transport capabilities but it supports
advanced microwave features such as Carrier Aggregation. The intention of a microwave SDN solution is
to remain clearly specialized in microwave applications and features and adopt a part of the features of
a router. A microwave SDN solution will support the mobile backhaul relevant transport capabilities such
as L3VPN, traffic engineering and OAM functions that the market expects. In scenarios where IP/MPLS
transport capabilities are the priority and microwave configurations are simpler eg. 1+0 or 2+0, a router
connected to a full outdoor microwave solution could be considered as well. MPLS-TP microwave is still
referred to in this comparison, but it is evident today and acknowledged in the industry that MPLS-TP
cannot provide a L3VPN solution and will hence remain as Layer2 solution.
Readiness and in-field upgrade
Investment protection is key, especially for operators where the microwave organization is not ready to
support IP/MPLS within the microwave network.
The microwave SDN solution, natively embedding forwarding plane capabilities, ensures that investments
are protected. Due to the SDN approach, the investment impact is lower than that required for a
“standard” router whose functionality may or may not be used depending on network evolution.
In the case of activation of L3 features, SDN controllers can be upgraded with additional control plane
functions.

Conclusion
In this document we explored relevant technological trends along with operator challenges and arrived at
some valuable guiding considerations to steer investment strategy in the right direction.
After the technology overview, a new and innovative SDN-based L3 solution has been explored and
compared with other service deployment options available in the market landscape.
Despite the future appearing daunting due to the diverse and demanding requirements that emerge,
operators need to reach their own conclusions to determine now the solution that best fits evolving
microwave transport requirements and investment protection for the coming years.
An SDN-based L3 solution is a strikingly strong approach when applied to Microwave technology
because it:
• will match the technical requirements of Microwave Mobile Backhaul
• will maintain the existing product simplicity for which Microwave is valued (quick and easy to use)
• does not require extra skills (and hence extra cost), existing microwave personnel can enter to the L3 era
smoothly
• can introduce L3VPN at a lean cost
• can hook L3VPN services to a programmable End-2-End SDN framework
Nokia offers its ‘360 degree’ expertise and competence in IP, SDN and Microwave and can hence be a solid
partner for any operator planning to evolve their backhaul infrastructure.
If you need further information or have any questions, please contact us.

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Further reading and references
(1) Nokia/Bell Labs Mobility Report https://www.bell-labs.com/consulting/
(2) Infonetics: Numbers are according to Nokia’s own sources and Infonetics Research, 2015

Abbreviations
API Application programming interface
ATM Asynchronous transfer mode
BGP Border Gateway Protocol
BTS Base Station
CAPEX Capital Expenditure
CLI Command-line interface
CSP Carrier Service Provider
CSR Cell Site Router
E-Band Range of radio frequencies from 71-76 and 81-86 GHz bands
EPC Evolved Packet Core
FO Full Outdoor
GE Gigabit Ethernet
GUI Graphical user interface
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
IP IP address
Iub The 3G Iub interface is the terrestrial Interface between NodeB and Radio Network Controller
KPI Key Performance Indicator
L2 Layer 2 (Data link layer in OSI model)
L3 Layer 3 (Network Layer in OSI model)
LAN Local-Area Network
LDP Label Distribution Protocol
LSP Label-switched path
MPLS Multi-protocol Label Switching
MPLS-TP Multiprotocol Label Switching - Transport Profile
MWR Microwave radio
NBI Northbound interface
NSP Network Services Platform

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OAM Operations, administration and management
OPEX Operating expenditure
QoS Quality of service
REST REpresentational State Transfer
SDN Software-defined networking
TCO Total cost of ownership
TDM Time-division multiplexing
VNF Virtual network functions
VPLS Virtual Private LAN Service
VPN Virtual private network
VPRN Virtual Private Routed Network
WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access
YANG YANG (Yet Another Next Generation) is a data modelling language for the definition of data
sent over the NETCONF network configuration protocol.

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Document code: SR1806026206EN (July) CID205327