Next Generation Corporate Network / Next Generation Core Network

Description

The term NGCN has a dual meaning within 3GPP documentation, split by the timeline of Release 15. In specifications originating pre-Release-15 (e.g., Rel-11 to Rel-14), NGCN stands for 'Next Generation Corporate Network'. This concept explored architectures for providing enhanced, dedicated network services to enterprise customers, potentially leveraging evolved packet core principles but with a focus on corporate needs like VPN integration, fixed-mobile convergence within an enterprise campus, and enhanced security. The technical studies focused on how a mobile network operator could offer a seamless, managed network slice or virtual network for a business, integrating with existing enterprise IT infrastructure. From Release 15 onwards, the acronym NGCN was reused within certain technical specifications (TSs) to mean 'Next Generation Core Network', becoming synonymous with the newly standardized 5G Core Network (5GC). In this context, it refers to the entire cloud-native, service-based core architecture defined for 5G. This includes all its constituent Network Functions (AMF, SMF, UPF, etc.), the Service-Based Interfaces between them, and the fundamental procedures for registration, authentication, session management, policy control, and mobility. The NGCN (as 5GC) operates by decoupling software functions from hardware, allowing them to be deployed on cloud infrastructure. It uses a unified data layer (provided by UDR) and a centralized policy framework (PCF) to govern network behavior. Its operation is centered on the PDU Session, which it establishes and manages to provide connectivity with specific QoS characteristics to a data network. The dual usage highlights the evolution of 3GPP's focus from enhancing enterprise services on existing infrastructure to architecting a completely new, versatile core network capable of serving all market segments, including enterprises, through mechanisms like network slicing.

Purpose & Motivation

The pre-Release-15 purpose of NGCN (Corporate Network) was to address the growing demand from businesses for more integrated, secure, and performant mobile connectivity solutions that could replace or seamlessly blend with traditional corporate LANs/WANs. It aimed to solve the problem of disjointed access for mobile employees and IoT devices within an enterprise. The concept explored how mobile network operators could offer a 'network as a service' tailored for enterprises, moving beyond simple APN-based internet access. The post-Release-15 repurposing of the term to mean Core Network was driven by the need for a concise label for the new 5G core architecture during its specification. While '5GC' became the common term, 'NGCN' appears in the titles and scopes of various technical specs that form the foundation of the system. This lexical shift signifies the culmination of earlier studies into a fully realized, standardized architecture. The new NGCN (5GC) was created to solve the fundamental limitations of the 4G EPC, providing the agility, scalability, and service-specific customization needed for the 5G era, ultimately enabling the enterprise concepts once studied under the old NGCN name through standardized network slicing and edge computing features.