Transport slicing: VLANs, MPLS, segment routing

Slicing the Transport Network

The transport network connecting RAN sites to core data centers also needs slicing to maintain end-to-end SLA guarantees. Without transport slicing, a burst of eMBB traffic in the backhaul could cause congestion that delays URLLC packets, violating the low-latency SLA even though both the RAN and core slices are properly isolated. Three technologies provide slice-aware transport, each suited to different deployment scales and operator capabilities. The choice depends on the operator's existing infrastructure, scale requirements, and how much programmability they need in the transport layer.