5G Mobile Backhaul
4G and 5G radio access networks demand nanosecond-class synchronization, up to Class C timing accuracy, mixed-speed interfaces, and carrier-grade resilience at every cell site -- from dense urban small cells to suburban macro towers. VelOS SP delivers the full-fledged IP/MPLS protocol stack, precision timing with IEEE 1588v2 backed up by Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE), and intelligent traffic engineering on Evollabs routers equipped with VelOS SP software -- with seamless integration into existing OSS/BSS and transport infrastructure through open standards.
Linux-Native Switching for Unified Compute & Network Operations
About Evollabs
Evollabs Tech operates a 5G Mobile Backhaul testing environment designed for telecom operators, ISPs, and infrastructure providers. It enables teams to design, validate, and optimize backhaul networks with precision timing, IP/MPLS transport, and carrier-grade resilience.
The Challenge
The transition from 4G to 5G and 5G New Radio fundamentally changes what the backhaul network must deliver. 5G base stations require timing accuracy that 4G networks may never demanded -- IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) and SyncE must be supported end-to-end from the core to every cell site. Without nanosecond-class synchronisation, handover failures spike, Time Division Duplex (TDD) frame alignment degrades, and subscriber experience deteriorates. Timing is not an optional enhancement in 5G backhaul; it is a hard requirement that every network element must satisfy.
Cell site density compounds the challenge. A single metro area may require hundreds to thousands of cell sites as operators deploy small cells, micro cells, and macro sites to meet 5G coverage and capacity targets. Each site needs a router capable of handling mixed-speed interfaces -- 1G and 10G for legacy and low-bandwidth radios like 2G/3G/4G connections, 25G for 5G connections, and 100G uplinks for backhaul aggregation. The variety of interface speeds at the access layer means operators need flexible platforms, not fixed-configuration appliances designed for a single deployment scenario.
The Solution
VelOS SP addresses 4G and 5G mobile backhaul with a purpose-built service provider protocol stack running on Evollabs routers. Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Segment Routing over MPLS (SR-MPLS) provide easy and deterministic traffic engineering across the backhaul network, enabling operators to steer user plane traffic along optimal paths from cell sites to the mobile core. SR-MPLS simplifies label management compared to traditional Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and Resource Reservation Protocol - Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) approaches, reducing control plane complexity as the network scales to thousands of cell sites. At the same time VelOS SP fully supports a variety of all traditional MPLS transport options like LDP, RSVP-TE, LDP-over-RSVP, BGP-LU and so on for backward capability allowing seamless insertion into legacy network designs and smooth transition to any desired future-proof design later.
Precision timing is a core capability of VelOS SP, not an optional add-on. IEEE 1588v2 and SyncE deliver nanosecond-class synchronisation from the network core to every cell site, ensuring that 5G base stations receive the timing accuracy they require for TDD frame alignment and inter-cell coordination.
OAM capabilities -- including Connectivity Fault Management (CFM) and ITU-T Y.1731 performance monitoring and emerging streaming telemetry support -- give operators end-to-end visibility into backhaul service quality. Network operations teams can monitor latency, jitter, and packet loss on a per-service basis, identifying degradation before it impacts the radio access network. Combined with AI-enhanced traffic engineering that predicts congestion and adapts forwarding paths proactively, VelOS SP delivers a backhaul network that is both carrier-grade resilient and operationally intelligent.
Recommended Hardware
VelOS SP runs on Evollabs service provider routers built on Broadcom routing silicon, covering the full range of 4G and 5G cell site and aggregation deployment scenarios from compact access routers through middle-range access and pre-aggregation to high-capacity aggregation and core/backbone nodes.
| Model | Ports | Chipset | Why This Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model EVO-2030-R1 | Ports 4x1G-T + 8x1G + 4x10G | Chipset Broadcom Qumran UX | Why This Hardware Entry-level access or cell-cite router (copper 1G and low-speed, 1G/10G 3G/4G/5G, 10G uplinks) for legacy and/or small cell deployments |
| Model EVO-2060-R1 | Ports Broadcom Qumran UX | Chipset 4x1G-T + 8x1G + 6x10G | Why This Hardware Entry-level access or cell-cite router (copper 1G and low-speed, 1G/10G 3G/4G/5G, 10G uplinks) for legacy and/or small cell deployments |
| Model EVO-2310-R1 | Ports 20x10G + 4x25G + 3x100G | Chipset Broadcom Qumran AX | Why This Hardware Mixed-speed ports for diverse cell site interfaces (1G legacy, 10/25G 4G & 5G, 100G backhaul uplinks); compact 300G class platform optimized for access-layer deployments |
| Model EVO-2360-R2 | Ports 20x25G + 4x100G | Chipset Broadcom Qumran 2U | Why This Hardware Optimized for 5G deployment cell-cite router with 25G downlinks and 100G uplinks, also can be used for building more complex and mesh topologies than regular access rings |
| Model EVO-2820-R2 | Ports 24x25G + 2x100G + 2x400G | Chipset Broadcom Qumran 2A | Why This Hardware 400G uplinks for bandwidth-intensive 5G deployments or using it as mixed access cell-site router and pre-aggregation router in diverse topologies |
| Model EVO-2810-R1L | Ports 48x10G + 6x100G | Chipset 48x10G + 6x100G Broadcom Qumran MX | Why This Hardware EVO-2810-R1L 48x10G + 6x100G Broadcom Qumran MX Entry-level compact Provider Edge router that can be used for combining several roles such as Internet Border, Business PE and MBH aggregation node (due to timing support) in a single node |
| Model EVO-4210-R2 | Ports 4x25G + 22x100G + 4x400G | Chipset Broadcom Qumran 2C | Why This Hardware Compact 5G aggregation router optimized for attaching access and pre-aggregation network segments at 100G speeds, can also be used as a lean Business PE and entry-level Core/Backbone and DCI router |
| Model EVO-4220-R2L | Ports 64x25G + 10x100G | Chipset Broadcom Qumran 2C | Why This Hardware Provider Edge and Internet Edge router with large FIB tables and full-fledge timing capabilities allowing to be used in mixed scenarios and as a junction point between mobile backhaul and SP backbone network segments |
| Model EVO-4710-R2L | Ports 4x25G + 24x100G + 12x400G | Chipset Broadcom Jericho J2C+ | Why This Hardware Provider Edge, DCI and Core/Backbone router with mixed range of 100G and 400G ports with ZR+ optics support. Large FIB tables allow to use it in Business PE and Internet Edge scenarios, while PTP and Synce options can provide end-to-end timing capabilities |
| Model EVO-6110-R2L | Ports 4x25G + 48x100G + 24x400G | Chipset Broadcom Jericho J2C+ | Why This Hardware Provider Edge, DCI and Core/Backbone router with mixed range of 100G and 400G ports with ZR+ optics support. Large FIB tables allow to use it in Business PE and Internet Edge scenarios, while PTP and Synce options can provide end-to-end timing capabilities |
DEPLOYMENT TOPOLOGY
Mobile Backhaul Network with VelOS SP
Architecture includes EVO cell site gateways, pre-aggregation nodes, and metro core routers forming a scalable mobile backhaul network. Supports MPLS/SR-MPLS, SyncE, IEEE 1588v2 timing, and BFD for reliability. Traffic flows northbound, timing southbound. Redundant high-speed links ensure resilience. Each pre-aggregation node aggregates 20–30 sites, scaling beyond 500+ cell sites per metro region.
Use Case Scenarios
A Tier-1 mobile operator is deploying 5G small cells across 500 sites in a major metropolitan area. Each small cell site is equipped with a Evollabs Cell Site Router (EVO-2310 or EVO-2360) running VelOS SP, providing 1G/10G or 25G interfaces for radio connections and 100G uplinks for backhaul aggregation. IEEE 1588v2 and SyncE deliver class C timing accuracy that 5G requires at every site. SR-MPLS provides deterministic traffic engineering from each cell site to the mobile core, with BFD ensuring sub-second failover if a backhaul link fails. The operator manages the entire 500+ site deployment through standard NETCONF and gRPC Network Management Interface (gNMI) interfaces, integrating VelOS SP into their existing OSS/BSS toolchain without proprietary adapters.
POWERED BY VELOS SP
Key capabilities for 4G and 5G Mobile Backhaul
VelOS SP is a service provider network operating system purpose-built for telecom and ISP environments -- delivering a full IP/MPLS protocol stack, precision timing, and AI-enhanced traffic engineering -- with seamless integration into existing infrastructure through open standards.
VelOS SP
Carrier-Grade NOS for the AI-Enhanced Network
MPLS and SR-MPLS and SRv6
IEEE 1588v2 and SyncE
BFD
OAM (CFM, Y.1731)
Open-Standard Streaming
AI-enhanced traffic engineering
Experience Performance at scale
Partner with Evollabs Tech to validate, optimize, and scale your intelligent systems using Dubai’s most advanced computational testing environment.
Contact
Location: United Arab Emirates, Dubai,Dubai Internet City, DIC-Bldg.05-118, Evollabs Tech FZ-LLC
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