Second look: The next generation network protocols that are 'fit for purpose' to support 5G

Whilst today's network protocols remain in use and do the necessary job quite well, they were designed for fixed line networks with static terminals. They have enabled the rapid growth of the internet over the past decades, but the increasing use of mobile has changed the way networks are accessed, resulting in numerous patches to the TCP/IP framework.

ETSI's Next Generation Protocol (NGP) industry standards group is not inventing new protocols for the more ubiquitous access, but is instead stimulating discussion about which new protocols are fit for purpose - such as supporting very low latency and being inherently secure.

The NGP ISG will present standards bodies such as the IETF and 3GPP with details of the problem and highlight what the requirements are to deliver future 5G services over the next ten years. There are points in the ongoing cellular standards process where next-generation protocol work can fit now (for instance, NB-IoT allows for payload transfer without resorting to IP), but the real opportunities will come as 5G develops and new requirements, such as network slicing, arise.

Filmed at: ETSI 5G Network Infrastructure Summit, Nice, 6 April, 2017