[ih] ETSI group sets out to define alternative to TCP/IP for 5G

[the keyboard of geoff goodfellow]

ETSI created a new Industry Specification Group (ISG) designed to find
alternative technologies to the 1970s-era TCP/IP-based networking protocols
deemed inadequate for today’s 5G networks.

The group intends to develop standards that, when all is said and done,
should lead to more efficient use of spectrum, better security and lower
latency.

Asked about implications for current remote work and learning triggered by
the COVID-19 crisis, ISG Chair John Grant said via email that it will
provide a better service for applications such as video conferencing and
remote medicine, avoiding delays and drop-outs.

According to ETSI, with the increasing challenges placed on modern networks
to support new use cases and greater connectivity, service providers are
looking for candidate technologies that may serve their needs better than
the TCP/IP-based networking used in current systems.

In 2015, several mobile operators identified problems with the TCP/IP-based
technology used in 4G. These included the complex and inefficient use of
spectrum resulting from adding mobility, security, quality-of-service, and
other features to a protocol that was never designed for them, ETSI
explained in a press release
<https://www.etsi.org/newsroom/press-releases/1749-2020-04-etsi-launches-new-group-on-non-ip-networking-addressing-5g-new-services>
.

*TCP/IP-based technology was originally designed for communication between
mainframe computers and to allow people with teletype and similar terminals
to run programs on them, according to Grant.*

“Computers were identified by their point of attachment to the network,
which never changed, whereas mobile devices move from cell to cell; this
means packets have to carry one set of addressing that identifies the
device and another that identifies its point of attachment,” he said.
“Security wasn't an issue, because only trusted people had access to the
terminals. Quality-of-service is mainly an issue for traffic such as audio
and video, which the communication links (and the computers) were too slow
to carry.”

ETSI expects the work of the new group will be applicable initially to
private mobile networks such as factory automation and then expanded to
public systems, both in the core network and eventually, end-to-end,
including the radio elements.

First on the group’s agenda will be a report detailing the shortcomings of
TCP/IP and how the new alternative system would overcome those
shortcomings. The group also plans to work on specifying how the new
technologies will form the basis of the new protocols, as well as creating
a framework for testing the efficiency and effectiveness of the new
protocols, including over radio.

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/etsi-group-sets-out-to-define-alternative-to-tcp-ip-for-5g

-- 
Geoff.Goodfellow at iconia.com
living as The Truth is True
http://geoff.livejournal.com