2025下一代网络协议演进白皮书_14页_12mb

Summary of "Challenges and Future Visions of the Protocols for Next-Generation Networks"

Core Content

This white paper explores the evolution and future directions of mobile network protocols in the context of next-generation networks (NGN). It highlights the challenges posed by emerging services and the need for protocol innovation to support new functionalities, performance requirements, and intelligent network operations.

Main Points

1. Overview of Mobile Network Protocols

• Mobile network protocols are divided into three categories: NAS (Non-Access Stratum), Control Plane, and User Plane.
• NAS protocols handle registration, authentication, mobility management, and session management between user equipment (UE) and the core network.
• Control Plane protocols manage communication between network elements and support service-oriented interfaces like HTTP/2 and PFCP.
• User Plane protocols handle data transmission between base stations and the core network, ensuring efficient user service traffic delivery.

2. New Service Requirements

• Emerging services such as Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), AI-native services, XR (Extended Reality), and Digital Twins are driving the need for more advanced network protocols.
• These services require:
  • Determinism: Ensuring predictable latency and reliability.
  • Intelligence: Enabling AI-based processing and decision-making.
  • Scalability: Supporting diverse and dynamic service scenarios.
  • Real-time data processing: Handling short burst traffic and large-scale data transmission.

3. Pain Points of Existing Protocols

• NAS protocol: Faces limitations in scalability, extension complexity, and adaptability to new service models.
• Control Plane protocols: Encounter challenges in transmission efficiency, security, and flexibility, especially with HTTP/2 and TCP-based solutions.
• User Plane protocols: Such as GTP-U and PFCP, struggle with latency, resource reservation, and dynamic QoS support.
• Protocol limitations: Include HOL blocking, high handshake latency, inefficient header compression, and inability to support end-to-end SLA.

4. Evolvements of Existing Protocols

• NAS protocol:
  • Needs restructuring to support multi-factor authentication, digital identity authentication, and intent-based communication.
  • Should be modularized and service-based to meet the diverse needs of next-generation terminals.
• Control Plane protocol:
  • HTTP/3 and QUIC are proposed as next-generation protocols, offering:
    • Reduced HOL blocking.
    • 0-RTT handshake for faster connection establishment.
    • Persistent dynamic tables for improved header compression.
    • Seamless connection migration.
  • However, challenges remain, such as header parsing with TLS encryption and protocol compatibility.
• User Plane protocol:
  • Enhancements include source routing, fast route streamlining, and adaptive QoS control.
  • GTP-U is considered for further customization and scalability, with potential support for real-time data transmission and multi-modal sensing data.

5. Introduction of New Protocols

• Agentic Protocol:
  • Supports agent communication across multi-type terminals, network elements, and ecosystems.
  • Key capabilities include agent identity allocation, capability publication and discovery, and task coordination.
  • Enables cross-ecosystem communication, dynamic authorization, and intent-based interaction.
• Data Plane Protocol:
  • Designed to support multi-modal data transmission, real-time sensing data, and converged storage.
  • Needs to address low transmission efficiency, inflexible security mechanisms, and insufficient scalability.
  • Core capabilities include efficient and reliable transmission, data identification and processing, and massive stream data governance.

Key Information

• Challenges: Current protocols struggle with low scalability, complex service interfaces, high latency, and inability to support AI-native and ISAC services.
• Opportunities: The introduction of HTTP/3, QUIC, and agentic protocols presents new possibilities for network intelligence, security, and real-time performance.
• Future Directions:
  • NAS protocol needs to evolve toward modular, service-based, and agent-aware designs.
  • Control Plane should focus on low-latency, secure, and flexible communication.
  • User Plane must support dynamic routing, QoS adaptation, and multi-modal data transmission.
  • New protocols like agentic and data plane protocols are necessary to enable intelligent agent communication, real-time sensing, and AI-native services.
• Collaboration: Global standardization bodies like 3GPP, IETF, and IEEE must collaborate to avoid fragmentation and ensure technical foresight and industry alignment.

Conclusion and Visions

Next-generation network protocols must be restructured, optimized, and innovated to meet the demands of AI services, integrated sensing and communication, and multi-agent collaboration. The paper emphasizes the need for protocol scalability, security enhancement, and real-time performance. It calls for collaboration among standardization organizations to build a synergistic and unified protocol framework, enabling industry digital transformation and network intelligence. The future protocol system should be programmable, efficient, and capable of supporting intelligent services and real-time data processing.