Cisco 5G Platform Components
Cisco Ultra Cloud Core (UCC) provides 5GC functions (AMF, SMF, UPF). Cisco vRAN runs CU/DU on Cisco UCS servers + Intel FlexRAN PHY. Cisco SMI (Subscriber Microservices Infrastructure) supports the cloud-native deployment.
Cisco RIC Platform
Cisco Crosswork Network Controller provides O-RAN compatible Near-RT and Non-RT RIC. Hosts xApps for traffic steering, energy saving, anomaly detection. xApps written in C++ or Python via the O-RAN A1/E2 interfaces.
Transport & Fronthaul
Cisco NCS 540 / 5500 series routers provide eCPRI-capable fronthaul transport with TSN profiles. SyncE + PTP combined for sub-microsecond timing. Routed Optical Network (RON) for 100G/400G fronthaul backhaul.
PHY Implementation
Cisco 5G stack uses Intel FlexRAN as the L1 reference. Hardware acceleration via Intel ACC100/ACC200 cards (LDPC encode/decode). PHY runs as a software DPDK pipeline with FPGA offload.
Numerology & Configuration
Cisco vRAN supports μ=0..3 in FR1, μ=2..3 in FR2. Configuration via CNF (Cloud-Native Function) helm charts. Monitoring via Prometheus + Grafana.
Deployment Patterns
Common Cisco 5G architecture: O-CU + O-DU on Cisco UCS in metro DC; O-RU at cell tower (third-party radio); Cisco IP backbone (NCS / ASR routers) connects everything. RIC deployed alongside CU farm.