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The evolution of 5G networks has introduced unprecedented advancements in mobile connectivity, enabling ultra-high-speed data transmission, low latency, and seamless mobility. However, these advancements present significant challenges, particularly in managing user equipment (UE) mobility at high speeds. Traditional centralized mobility management approaches struggle to efficiently handle dynamic session routing, leading to increased handover delays and suboptimal traffic routing. To address these limitations, this work explores the integration of Segment Routing over IPv6 (SRv6) with Distributed Mobility Management (DMM) principles and leveraging the Mobile User Plane (MUP) architecture.
SRv6 offers network programmability and an IPv6-based flexible routing paradigm, making it ideal for scalable mobile architectures. The proposed system utilizes MUP to transform session management into routing updates, thereby eliminating the dependency on static mobility anchors. A core component of this system is the MUP Controller (MUP-C), which dynamically creates session-transformed routes (ST routes) based on real-time session updates received from the 5G control plane. These ST routes are then distributed across Provider Edge (PE) nodes using BGP-based mechanisms, ensuring efficient path optimization and load balancing. Additionally, the integration of Mobile User Plane Components, such as Interwork and Direct Segments, enhances the system’s ability to maintain continuous connectivity for high-speed UEs. The MUP-C autonomously discovers PE nodes and facilitates seamless handovers by leveraging ISD (Interwork Segment Discovery) and DSD (Direct Segment Discovery) routes.
This architecture significantly reduces handover latency and packet loss during UE transitions between gNBs (gNodeB), particularly in high-mobility scenarios. Through the implementation of a GoBGP-based routing framework and SRv6 endpoint behaviors, our system demonstrates improved efficiency in handling mobile traffic. Performance evaluations highlight reductions in handover disruption and overall data plane latency, making SRv6 MUP a promising approach for future 5G mobility management. This study presents a framework that paves the way for a fully distributed, resilient, and scalable 5G user plane architecture.