Fraunhofer FOKUS investigates how 5G/6G core networks can interact directly with heterogeneous transport infrastructures. Future data paths may combine fiber, wireless backhaul, satellite links, and shared third-party networks whose capacity, delay and availability change over time. Treating transport as a fixed and overprovisioned connection is therefore increasingly insufficient.
Open6GCore research exposes transport conditions to network control and investigates how data flows can be adapted accordingly. This includes transport-aware routing and traffic steering, resource reservation, path switching and splitting, and coordination between mobile network and transport network control.
The same mechanisms become particularly relevant for NTN and hybrid terrestrial/non-terrestrial networks, where satellite paths, inter-satellite links, feeder links, and shared ground transport can introduce dynamically changing delay and capacity. Current FOKUS work investigates SDN-based path control and adaptation of end-to-end data paths to these momentary conditions.
Research Topics
- Integrated 5G/6G and transport-network control
- Transport-aware traffic steering and routing
- Dynamic path selection, switching and splitting
- Transport resource reservation
- Wired, wireless and satellite transport integration
- SDN-based transport control
- Multi-domain and heterogeneous backhaul
- Transport-state exposure and cross-layer adaptation
Open6GCore provides an experimental environment for investigating how core-network decisions and transport-network control can be coordinated across the complete end-to-end data path.
5G/6G data path. | © Fraunhofer FOKUS