Transport topologies — ring, hub-spoke, mesh

Ring Topology in Mobile Transport

Ring topologies connect cell site routers in a closed loop, typically aggregating four to twelve sites per ring before connecting to a hub or aggregation node. Rings provide inherent path redundancy — if a single fiber cut occurs, traffic reroutes around the ring in the opposite direction. Mobile operators favor rings in suburban and rural areas where sites follow linear routes along roads or highways. MPLS Fast Reroute or Ethernet ring protection protocols like G.8032 provide sub-fifty-millisecond switchover. The primary drawback is that ring capacity is shared among all sites, and the…