SoftBank Deploys SRv6 MUP in Commercial 5G Network

TOKYO, Japan — SoftBank Corp. said Thursday it has deployed Segment Routing IPv6 Mobile User Plane technology in a commercial 5G network for part of its fixed wireless access operations.

The technology, known as SRv6 MUP, is designed to enable multi-access edge computing and network slicing.

SoftBank said the deployment was the first commercial 5G network service using the technology, according to company research.

The company began field trials in February 2023 and plans to expand service coverage.

The system uses Broadcom Jericho2 routing chipsets and runs the Arrcus ArcOS network operating system and the VMware Telco Cloud Platform from Broadcom.

Executives from Arrcus and Broadcom commented on the deployment.

SoftBank said it will continue development and testing, working with technology companies and telecommunications operators on further implementation.