By Alon Ben-Ami & Alon Bernstein, Cisco Systems
DOCSIS is an attractive option for mobile backhaul. It has been shown in several Proof of Concept demos that 1588 timing can be passed reliably over the DOCSIS network and that using LLX (low latency backhaul, not to be confused with low latency DOCSIS) the latency over DOCSIS for mobile backhaul can be reduced.
This paper will address the next level of system integration challenges of using DOCSIS as a mobile backhaul. To illustrate the system integration issues, consider the following example: A small cell is connected over a DOCSIS backhaul. The small cell carries a number of sessions. A UE (user equipment such as a mobile phone) attempts to start another session but the utilization of the DOCSIS mobile backhaul is already too high. There are a couple of recovery options. The new session can be rejected, or the new session can be diverted to a macro-cell, or more bandwidth can be added to the DOCSIS link via PCMM, or the call can be diverted to an adjacent small cell. This paper and presentation will explore how SON (Self Organizing Network) can be the glue between the DOCSIS system and the 5G eco-system that owns the policies that can help define and execute any of the choices mentioned above while keeping a good separation of the cable domain and mobile domain.
The cable environment will also push traditional SON to new scaling requirements because of the use of small cells (and therefor a larger number of eNB to manager) and the new spectrum that cable operators may use.