The BroadForward Service Communication Proxy (SCP) is a crucial component in the 5G network architecture that functions as an intermediary to enhance communication between different network functions (NFs).
By facilitating service-based interactions, the SCP optimizes the discovery, routing, and load balancing of these communications, ensuring efficient resource utilization and improved network performance. It acts as a broker, providing features such as security, scalability, and resilience, thereby streamlining the service-oriented architecture inherent to 5G networks and supporting the dynamic, high-demand environment required by advanced 5G applications.
The BroadForward SCP supports indirect communications, mediating messages between service consumers and producers, in accordance with 3GPP Release-16 Model C and D. In Model C, the consumer NF communicates directly with the NRF to discover the target producer NFs, and then uses SCP to route the requests; in Model D however, the NF producer discovery and selection are delegated to the SCP.
Functions of the BroadForward SCP include:
The SCP is a new HTTP/2 based network function enabling dynamic scaling and management of communication and services in the 5G network. The SCP plays a role that can be compared to its predecessors, such as the Signaling Transfer Point (STP), the central signaling router used in 2G/3G to route SS7 signaling messages, as well as the Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) doing the same for Diameter messages in 4G. A key difference with these legacy routers is that the SCP can be responsible for resolving Network Function (NF) discovery requests via communication with the Network Repository Function (NRF), and can initiate Domain Name Server (DNS A-record) IP address lookups to a DNS to locate every live instance for every available Network Function.
The BroadForward Service Communication Proxy (SCP) is built upon the BFX Unified Signaling Core (USC), a robust and award-winning signaling architecture boasting over a decade of demonstrated excellence in the 3G and 4G core network functions. The SCP plays an important role within the 5G Service Based Architecture (SBA), providing functions ranging from simplifying network topology by applying signaling aggregation and routing, to load balancing, overload handling and message parameter harmonization as well as interworking with legacy systems such as the STP and DRA-DEA and with other 5G functions such as BSF and 4G-5G interworking.
The role of the Service Communication Proxy
No specifications available.
