UNDERSTANDING CORE NETWORK IN MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

The core network is the backbone of a mobile communication system, responsible for handling the transmission and routing of data and voice calls between devices. Here are 10 key points to understand about it:

 Central Hub: The core network acts as a central hub that connects various network elements, such as base stations and user devices.

 Service Provision: It provides a wide range of services, including voice calls, SMS, data transfer, and multimedia services.

 User Management: The core network manages user information, such as location, subscription details, and service preferences.

 Security: It ensures secure communication by implementing encryption and authentication mechanisms to protect user data.

 Mobility Management: The core network handles mobility management, allowing users to seamlessly switch between different networks as they move from one location to another.

 Network Functions: It comprises various network functions, such as the Home Location Register (HLR), Visitor Location Register (VLR), Mobile Switching Center (MSC), and Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN).

 Protocol Stack: The core network utilizes a complex protocol stack, including protocols like IP, TCP, UDP, and SIP, to facilitate communication between devices.

 Evolution: The core network is constantly evolving to accommodate new technologies and services, such as 5G and IoT.

 Cloud-Native Architecture: Modern core networks are increasingly adopting cloud-native architectures to improve scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency.

 Interoperability: The core network must interoperate with other networks, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the internet, to enable seamless communication.

 Signaling Networks: STP a protocol used to transport signaling messages between network elements

 Network functions virtualization: enables the virtualization of network functions, allowing them to be deployed as software on standardized hardware improving flexibility and scalability

 Software defined networking(SDN): separates the control plane form the data plane, allowing for centralized control and management of the network.