5G • Core Network

SCP

Service Communication Proxy

5GC SBA routing and mediation proxy providing indirect communication, load balancing, and message prioritization.

Technical Explanation

Introduced in 3GPP Rel-16 for 5G SBA (Architecture Model C and D), the SCP decouples consumer NFs from producer NFs. Acting as a service mesh proxy, the SCP performs dynamic message routing, load distribution, mutual TLS termination, circuit breaking, and traffic prioritization across core network functions.

Key Functions

  • Acts as cloud-native service mesh proxy between 5GC Network Functions
  • Provides dynamic message routing, load balancing, and overload control
  • Terminates mTLS and enables indirect communication (Model C/D)
Specifications
3GPP TS 23.501, TS 29.500
Interfaces
NscpSBI

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