Network functions and services

Abstract This chapter gives a detailed overview of critical part of the 5GS—the shift from nodes and logical entities toward network functions. With the advent of cloud technologies and the adoption of service-based interfaces, 3GPP evolved the manner in which its logical architecture was described to better reflect that the different parts of the network are now far more likely to be run as a piece of software running on a cloud platform than as hardware. 5GC supports a collections of services and network functions that are made available over a Service-based Architecture. This chapter provides a detailed and accessible description of these network functions and the architecture within which they operate.