The image you provided displays the User Plane communication protocol stack in the 5G architecture, which is primarily concerned with the conveyance of user data, such as voice or data traffic. The abbreviations in the image represent the following:
UE: User Equipment – The device used by the end-user for communication with the network, such as a smartphone or tablet.
gNB: Next Generation NodeB – The base station in 5G networks that manages communication with the User Equipment (UE).
NGC: Next Generation Core – Part of the core network in the 5G architecture responsible for handling user data services.
The layers of the User Plane protocol stack are as follows:
PDU: Protocol Data Unit – This is a general term used to describe blocks of information exchanged at a particular layer of a protocol stack.
SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol – A new layer in 5G that is responsible for QoS flow mapping and ensuring correct delivery of data packets.
PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol – Handles the transmission of user data and control information and performs header compression and encryption.
RLC: Radio Link Control – Responsible for data segmentation and reassembly and ensures reliable data transmission through the Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) mechanism.
MAC: Medium Access Control – Handles the multiplexing of data into the physical layer and channel access mechanisms that can be competitive or non-competitive.
PHY: Physical layer – Deals with the actual radio transmission, including modulation and demodulation of the signal.
Protocols between gNB and NGC:
GTP-U: GPRS Tunneling Protocol User Plane – Used to carry user plane IP traffic through the core network.
UDP: User Datagram Protocol – A simple transport layer protocol that offers a connectionless mode of packet exchange.
IP: Internet Protocol – Responsible for the delivery and routing of IP packets.
L2: Layer 2 – Refers to the data link layer in the OSI model, responsible for data transfer between network nodes.
L1: Layer 1 – Refers to the physical layer in the OSI model, involving the physical transmission of data.
The diagram illustrates how different protocol layers interact with each other in the User Plane of 5G networks to support the transport of data.
The image you’ve uploaded appears to be a diagram of the Control Plane in a 5G architecture, showing various layers of protocols used between the User Equipment (UE), the gNB (next generation NodeB, or the 5G base station), and the NGC (Next Generation Core). Here’s what the abbreviations stand for:
UE: User Equipment – The device used by the end user to communicate with the network, such as a smartphone or tablet.
gNB: Next Generation NodeB – The base station in 5G networks that manages communication with UE.
NGC: Next Generation Core – The core network in 5G architecture, which provides high-speed, low-latency network access and facilitates the connection to the internet or other services.
Now, for the protocol layers:
NAS: Non-Access Stratum – A protocol layer that facilitates data exchange between the UE and the core network for signaling and traffic not related to the access stratum.
RRC: Radio Resource Control – A protocol that manages the control plane signaling between the UE and gNB, including the setup, configuration, and release of radio bearers.
PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol – It is responsible for the transmission of user data and control information between the UE and the gNB. It also performs header compression and encryption.
RLC: Radio Link Control – This layer assures the correct transfer of data from the source to the destination, providing error correction through ARQ (Automatic Repeat reQuest).
MAC: Medium Access Control – Responsible for mapping logical channels to transport channels and multiplexing/demultiplexing of RLC PDUs onto/from transport blocks.
PHY: Physical – The physical layer that defines the electrical and physical specifications for the radio interface, including modulation, demodulation, and error correction codes.
In the context of the 5G Core (NGC):
NGAP: Next Generation Application Protocol – It is used for signaling between the gNB and the 5G core network (NGC).
SCTP: Stream Control Transmission Protocol – A transport layer protocol used for carrying signaling messages in the control plane, known for its robustness and support of multi-homing.
IP: Internet Protocol – The network layer protocol that facilitates routing of data packets across the network.
L2: Layer 2 – This generally refers to the data link layer in the OSI model and is responsible for data transfer between adjacent network nodes.
L1: Layer 1 – This is the physical layer in the OSI model, referring to the physical transmission of data.
This diagram essentially shows how different layers of the network protocol stack interact with each other in the control plane of 5G networks.