What is the importance of eCPRI in 5G ?

Lets start first with CPRI, which is the Common Public Radio Interface, it is an interface, that sends data from remote radio units to base station units. As we see from the figure between BBU and RRH. It’s a serial interface, which is a very high-speed connection, a way to translate all those radio signals back to the computing function So CPRI is using TDM serial interface.

On the other hand, Enhanced CPRI (eCPRI) is a way of splitting up the baseband functions to reduce traffic strain on the fiber, and it is fronthaul interface between the RU and the DU.

eCPRI will be used to support 5G by enabling increased efficiency. It will provide flexible radio data transmission through a packet based fronthaul network, for example IP or Ethernet. As 5G becomes increasingly present in our lives, the fiber between the radio units and baseband units will see an increase in traffic. To ensure we are not stretching the limits of the bandwidth when 5G is implemented, eCPRI will be introduced Not only will the radio interface be more efficient, it will also be more flexible.

In 2G/3G and 4G , we use Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) interface as fronthaul connection, but now, enhanced CPRI is becoming an important technology for 5G and Open RAN.

Also CPRI is a point-to-point interface, meaning that vendors will be exclusive within their own network. eCPRI will work on an open interface, allowing more convergence in the industry as carriers complement networks with shared equipment, and start using open RAN.
Finally, compared to CPRI, eCPRI reduces both latency and jitter for high-priority traffic and improves the efficiency of 5G fronthaul networks.