Control and User Plane Separation
cnBNG is an architectural evolution that is based on Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS), where the CP and UP run in distinct and independent environments. cnBNG redefines the traditional physical BNG by decoupling the BNG CP and UP functions to give better flexibility and scalability for the service providers. In cnBNG, the centralized subscriber management functionality of BNG runs on CP infrastructure and the user plane delivers the forwarding functionality.
In Cisco cnBNG solution, a physical Cisco IOS XR platform like Cisco ASR 9000 Series Routers provides the UP functionality. Whereas Cisco Ultra Cloud Core Subscriber Microservices Infrastructure (SMI)—a container-based microservice cloud environment, provides the CP functionality.
Why CUPS?
CUPS provides the capability to independently scale the CP and UP in an efficient and dynamic manner. CUPS enables network operators to optimize data center costs by hosting the CP and UP in different geographic locations. CUPS thus saves on backhaul (the access to core connection) costs by terminating data at the edge of the network. The network operators can then easily adapt to the evolving demands of mobile networks without incurring extra capital expenditures (CapEx) and operating expenditures (OpEx). The CUPS solution thus promotes a more cost-effective approach to core mobile architecture and future-proofs the network for 5G.