With the introduction of 5G, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have the potential to become Universal Service

Providers, offering a complete range of telecom services to individuals, businesses, enterprises, and critical industries.

This requires a service-aware transport network that is able to dynamically link the 5G NR (new radio) network with

agile mobile core functionality. ECI’s Elastic Services Platform leverages a suite of modular software applications

over a programmable network infrastructure to deliver 5G connectivity dynamically, with the assured deterministic

behavior to make 5G services a reality.

DYNAMICALLY DETERMINISTIC

CONNECTIVITY FABRIC

DETERMINISTIC BEHAVIOR

TRANSPORT

ASSURED PERFORMANCEDYNAMIC CONNECTIVITY

FOR 5G MOBILE NETWORK OPERATORS

ElastiNET™

DEVICES AND

THINGS

RADIO ACCESS

TECHNOLOGY

CONNECTIVITY

FABRICCORE NETWORK

APPLICATIONS

AND SERVICES

• Ubiquitous

connectivity

• Wireless access

• Wireline access

• Dynamic, deterministic, assured, secure, IP

and Optical transport

• Fully meshed

• Highly dynamic

• Internet applications

• Cloud services

DYNAMIC CONNECTIVITY

For MNOs to become universal service providers, they must move beyond the traditional mobile broadband services

to provide a full range of services to a wide range of customers and devices. 5G will usher in a new line of services,

based on the new capabilities of the 5G network - like ultra-reliable and ultra-low latency connectivity.

5G must also provide the communications network for a vast number of low-bandwidth IoT devices. These devices

range from the IoTs used to provide the massive-machine-type communications (mMTC) found in smart homes

and smart cities, to the IoTs used to provide the critical-machine-type communications (C-MTC) essential for

monitoring and actuation in modernized mission-critical control systems.

Superfast Mobile

Broadband

Ultra-reliable

AR/VR

Ultra-low latency

Services

Mission

Critical IoT

Massive

Machine IoT

Each of these service types has its own distinct set of parameters and policies, and the 5G architecture uses an

approach called network slicing to partition the mobile network into multiple virtual networks. Each network

slice provides connectivity and quality of service, optimized to meet the transport requirements of the services it

transports.

High

Bandwidth

Low

Latency

High

Density

5G slice 3

(Massive IoT)

5G slice 2

(Autonomous driving)

Different SLAs and KPIs per network slice

5G slice 1

(Remote healthcare)

• Low BW

• Not latency sensitive

Other slices

• Medium BW

• High Reliability

• Very low latency

• Medium BW

• High Reliability

• Very low latency

ECI’s Elastic Services Platform makes network slicing a reality by providing the intelligence, agility, and autonomous

control necessary to take service requests and dynamically allocate the correct resources to the correct network slices.

It achieves this by combining the ECI Packet (Neptune) and Optical (Apollo) transport solutions with advanced

operations software from the MUSE™ software suite.

Neptune and Apollo provide a programmable network infrastructure that scales easily up to 100G, to the cell site

and beyond. They support full, seamless integration between the optical transport and the IP transport, providing a

fully-functional 5G connectivity fabric while maximizing cost efficiency.

The Elastic Service Platform takes this programmable network infrastructure and uses the agility provided by

Software Defined Networking (SDN) to deliver capacity and connectivity when and where it is required. The

flexibility provided by Network Function Virtualization (NFV) helps allocate virtual network functions (VNFs) to

enable the multi-access edge computing (MEC) needed, as for low-latency services.

Muse™

Service

Applications

Network

Applications

3rd Party

Applications

Capacity, Scalability, and Density:

• 100GE to the cell site

• 100G switching in the access layer

Packet and Optical Intergration:

• Flex OTN, FlexE, ROADMs,

ASON, WSON

• DWDM from 100G to 200/400G

Flexible bandwidth

• SDN controlled with centralized

PCE providing segment routing

and multi-layer optimization

Scalable L1-L2 Access and Aggregation platforms with SDN and NFV

Muse™

Service

Applications

Network

Applications

3rd Party

Applications

IoT Application

Critical Application

vEPC

DETERMINISTIC BEHAVIOR

Many of the new services anticipated for 5G are either

business critical or mission critical and require precise,

deterministic behavior with the network providing

guaranteed latency, reliability, and availability.

Unfortunately, IP/MPLS, traditionally used for IP

transport, optimizes dynamic connectivity at the cost

of determinism. But what are the options?

• RSVP-TE brings this determinism to IP/MPLS,

but it also adds complexity and just does not scale.

• MPLS-TP is the widely accepted approach of

deterministic transport for mission-critical services,

but achieves this determinism by sacrificing a

degree of dynamism.

Consequently, ECI introduced Elastic MPLS technology to allow customers to run both dynamic and deterministic

services in the same network, and even stitch between dynamic and deterministic service domains.

Evolution time

Switching

Routing

MPLS

MPLS-TP

IP/MPLS

Segment routing

PSVP-TE

Co

mp

lexi

ty

For the 5G connectivity fabric, the transport network needs to go the extra mile and offer dynamic connectivity with

configurable determinism – a concept ECI calls dynamic determinism.

To achieve dynamic determinism in the service layer, ECI added segment routing to its Elastic MPLS technology.

Segment routing is a source-based routing approach that takes the best assets of IP/MPLS and MPLS-TP to create

IP transport that is both dynamic and deterministic. When used in conjunction with a centralized path computation

element (PCE), deterministic service paths can be created autonomously and dynamically across the network.

To bring dynamic determinism to the network slices, ECI is introducing new technologies including Flexible Ethernet

and Elastic OTN.

End-to-end L2 and L3 VPNs

CoC/Utelco

Elastic MPLS

Flexible Ethernet (FlexE) provides deterministic latency when multiplexing Ethernet, by adopting TDM principles

rather than packet buffers. In the TDM approach, client signals are allocated fixed timeslots in the transmission path.

Hence latency cannot vary. In addition, FlexE allows mapping of client rates to line rates without the need for flow

control or link aggregation.

ECI’s Elastic OTN combines traditional OTN switching with advanced optical techniques like Flexgrid, ODUflex,

and flexible OTN (FlexO), providing flexible, resilient, and deterministic optical transport.

The Elastic Services Platform uses the advanced operations software provided by MUSE™ Service and Network

applications to seamlessly integrate, manage, and control all of these IP and Optical technologies, providing the

dynamic determinism required by the 5G connectivity fabric.

BONDING

WDM channels are grouped together to

support a higher rate client interface (i.e.

4x 100G wavelengths to support a 400GE

client

Examples of Flexible Ethernet

Elastic OTN

Flexible optical layer with programmable modulation, CDC-G, Flexible OTN

Lambda CDC-G with flexible modulation

SUB-RATING

Lower speed client interfaces are mapped

onto a higher speed WDM interfaces by

under filling the WDM channels

CHANNELIZATION

Lower speed client interfaces are

aggregated onto a higher speed

WDM interface (e.g. 10G, 40G, 150G,

200G clients mapped onto 4 x100G

wavelengths)

MA

C a

nd 6

4b/6

6b e

ncod

ing

MA

C a

nd 6

4b/6

6b e

ncod

ing

Flex

E S

HIM

Flex

E S

HIM

Flex

E S

HIM

Flex

E S

HIM

ASSURED PERFORMANCE

The Elastic Services Platform provides the ability to deliver and assure enhanced VPN (VPN+) services across

the transport infrastructure. A path computation element (PCE) uses the service policies and parameters for each

service, plus knowledge of the underlay and overlay transport network, to calculate the path for each service. It then

incorporates strict path routing for deterministic services, or more liberal path routing for more dynamic services.

Segment routing maintains tight integration between the overlay VPN and the underlay network resources, using

segment identities (SIDs) to recognize the specific network resources used. This approach allows easy mapping of

services to the appropriate network slices.

Muse™ manages the entire lifecycle of the network slices and the services running across them by proactively

assuring that the services delivered across the connectivity fabric meet the service parameters and policies. Service

performance is monitored continuously, in real time, ensuring that service delivery always meets the defined the

service policies. This allows remedial actions to be initiated as soon as any service degradation is anticipated.

However, service performance can only be as good as the performance of the underlying network. Muse network

applications guarantee the efficiency and performance of the underlying network.

• Low BW

• Not latency sensitive

• Medium BW

• High Reliability

• Very low latency

• Medium BW

• High Reliability

• Very low latency

Muse™

Service

Applications

Network

Applications

3rd Party

Applications

Carrier Grade PaaS

VIM 3rd PartyNetwork Control

Network Controller Functions

5G slice 3

(Massive IoT)

5G slice 2

(Autonomous driving)

5G slice 1

(Remote healthcare)

Different SLAs and KPIs per network slice

Radio Access

Radio Access

Radio Access

Other slices

THE ELASTIC SERVICES PLATFORM

The Elastic Service Platform is ECI‘s portfolio framework. When used for the 5G connectivity fabric, the Elastic

Services Platform represents the confluence of core values, product portfolio, and competencies. It combines our

industry-leading Optical and IP technologies with vast experience in delivering secure, deterministic IP transport

networks and multigeneration mobile transport and takes this to another level, with award winning service-oriented

operations software.

The Elastic Services Platform provides Mobile Network Operators with a 5G connectivity fabric, which has the

flexibility, agility, and functionality to support the full range of services for the varied types of customers, allowing

them to evolve confidently to become universal service providers.

Muse™

Service

Applications

Network

Applications

3rd Party

Applications

Carrier Grade PaaS

VIM 3rd PartyNetwork Control

Network Controller Functions

• Intent driven, autonomous activation

• Predictive Planning

• Proactive assurance

• Analytics and guaranteed SLAs

• SR, PCE, MANO, SDN

• Seamlessly integrated IP and Optical

transport

• Dynamic Service Delivery

• Deterministic Performance

• Flexible Bandwidth

• Elastic Connectivity

• Configurable Latency

• High reliability

• Compute where needed

• Security

IoT ApplicationCritical

Application

vEPC

ABOUT ECI

ECI is a global provider of ELASTIC network solutions to CSPs, utilities as well as data center operators. Along with its

long-standing, industry-proven packet-optical transport, ECI offers a variety of SDN/NFV applications, end-to-end network

management, a comprehensive cyber security solution, and a range of professional services. ECI's ELASTIC solutions ensure

open, future-proof, and secure communications. With ECI, customers have the luxury of choosing a network that can be tailor-

made to their needs today – while being flexible enough to evolve with the changing needs of tomorrow. For more information,

visit us at w w w.e c i t e l e .c o m

Contact us to find out how our Elastic Services Platform can benefit your 5G build out

BENEFITS OF ELASTIC SERVICES PLATFORM FOR

DYNAMIC DETERMINISTIC MOBILE NETWORKS

Dynamic

Connectivity

• Programmable network infrastructure led by the Neptune (packet) and Apollo (optical)

product lines.

• Dynamically reconfigurable network using software defined networking (SDN) and

MUSE™ service applications to provide optimized delivery of the 5G connectivity fabric.

• Integrated virtualized functionality provides the flexibility to allocate functionality

when and where it is required.

• Scalable transport platform providing high capacity to the cell site with the agility to

expand capacity when and where required.

Deterministic

Behaviour

• Supports Mission and Business critical services with flexible deterministic transport,

provided by Segment Routing, Flexible Ethernet, and Elastic OTN.

• Validated service delivery by creating services with SLAs that ensure that the 5G

connectivity fabric meets service parameters and policies.

• Deterministic service delivery with segment routing.

• Predictable, repeatable, low latency provided by Flexible Ethernet.

• Deterministic, flexible, optical underlay provided by Elastic OTN.

Assured

Performance

• Assured network and service performance by combining policies and analytics with

automated software control.

• Measurable Performance using MUSE™ service and network applications, in conjunction

with highly instrumented hardware.

• Real-time, right-first-time assurance using real-time monitoring and measurement to

allow rapid identification and reaction to any network and service issues.

• Pre-emptive SLAs assurance by measuring service performance over time, to anticipate

potential degradations.

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