Connectivity support harmonization in future internet architecture

Abstract

The current trend in mobile telecommunications is towards accommodating an increased data traffic throughput for a large number of subscribers. For this, the mobile operators are deploying more efficient access and core network technologies resulting in higher data rates at specific geographic locations responding to the future internet communication requirements. However, the new technologies come to extend the current deployments resulting in a complex system with high heterogeneous connectivity support functionality. This paper describes a set of functional extensions for the harmonization between legacy and future networks for access network selection and convergent authentication and authorization and data path establishment, exemplified as additions to the 3GPP Evolved Packet Core. These extensions enable a converged and efficient handling of the subscribers' requirements and data traffic in the future mobile operator networks. Furthermore, the functionality is detailed as implemented in the Future Internet Testbed of (Deutsche) Telekom Innovation Laboratories based on the Fraunhofer OpenEPC software implementation of the 3GPP architecture.