On the QoS-capable transport in the IP-based UTRAN

In this paper, we highlight different architectures and techniques for transport of user traffic in the IP-based UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) taking into account the real-time nature of the transport therein. Indeed, the UTRAN imposes severe delay bounds on the transport of both real-time and non real-time traffic. In this context, we provide an overview of different QoS-capable transport architecture options, such as DiffServ and MPLS. We also discuss multiplexing schemes that shall reduce overheads and hence achieve an efficient utilization of limited wired resources. We investigate these transport options and their relative merits taking into account several factors including transport infrastructure and network topology.