The "Internet of Everything" from a 5G perspective delivers revolutionary performance across diverse applications. Current transport network architectures face significant challenges in meeting requirements such as high bandwidth, low latency, flexible connections, high reliability, and a software-defined network (SDN) based on open network functions.
ZTE 5G Flexhaul is a new end-to-end network solution for 5G transmissions. It is designed for fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul within the same product series, based on flexible, on-demand deployment. The introduction of FlexE tunneling technology aims to shift from an interface-level technology to a network-level technology, making low latency and network cutoff a reality.
At Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017, ZTE showcased the performance of the ZXCTN 609, which integrates FlexE and 100GE tunneling technologies. During testing with three ZXCTN 609 units connected via 100GE links, the FlexE tunnel was used to create distinct, end-to-end network slices, isolated from each other. With this tunneling, the minimum forwarding delay per node can be less than 0.5µs, and protection switching can be performed in 1ms. This demonstrates performance superior to any other Ethernet technology, perfectly meeting the high reliability and low latency requirements of 5LC URLLC services.
