4. F1-C signalling bearer

38.4723GPPF1 signalling transportNG-RANRelease 17TS

4.1 Function and protocol stack

The F1-C signalling bearer provides the following functions:

– Provision of reliable transfer of F1AP messages over the F1-C interface.

– Provision of networking and routeing function.

– Provision of redundancy in the signalling network.

– Support for flow control and congestion control.

The protocol stack for F1-C Signalling Bearer is shown in figure 4.1-1 and details on each protocol are described in the following clauses.

Figure 4.1-1: F1-C signalling bearer protocol stack

The Transport Network Layer is based on IP transport, comprising SCTP on top of IP.