How IP Network 3.0 Redefines Deterministic Service for the Digital Economy

Preface

With China entering the digital‑economy era, the IP‑based network model that carries all services has developed rapidly. Beyond traditional consumer‑Internet services, the cloud‑network integrated digital infrastructure built on IP is becoming a new industrial foundation, driving new business development and industrial informationization.

Industrial applications demand deterministic service quality, which traditional IP transport cannot guarantee. To meet the high‑speed, stable, cross‑WAN connectivity required by new‑type industrialization and the industrial Internet, China Telecom has created the IP Network 3.0 architecture, breaking the barrier between business connections and network resources and providing a deterministic service foundation for the industrial Internet, supporting the national "East‑Data‑West‑Compute" strategy.

This whitepaper consists of two parts: the "IP Network 3.0 Architecture" whitepaper and the "China Telecom IP Deterministic Slicing" whitepaper.

The former explains how overlaying an IP business core layer on the existing IP transport layer endows the network with business awareness, connection control, resource matching, and deterministic service capabilities, enabling a new business model based on user experience and application perception.

The latter details China Telecom's innovative IP deterministic slicing technology, which provides tenant‑level dedicated micro‑slices with M‑level granularity, ensuring end‑to‑end service quality for each customer.

IP Network 3.0 Architecture Whitepaper: Preface

As the digital economy matures, traditional networks are evolving toward full‑IP. IP networks are transitioning from a consumer‑Internet base to an industrial‑Internet base, facing challenges such as:

Layered, decoupled, connection‑less IP networks cannot meet deterministic transport requirements.

The "three‑fold binding" of IP networks struggles with cloud computing and AI service demands.

Operators experience "incremental but non‑revenue‑generating" IP network construction, hindering sustainable growth.

Existing IP networks are designed only as transport layers, lacking fine‑grained business control. They cannot perceive business needs, match resources precisely, or guarantee deterministic service, limiting innovative business models.

To solve these issues, the whitepaper proposes the IP Network 3.0 architecture—an IP business network that adds a business core layer on top of the transport layer, giving the network business awareness, connection control, resource matching, and deterministic service capabilities. This creates a new business and fine‑grained operation model based on user experience and application perception.

The whitepaper analyzes new business transport requirements, outlines the evolution and vision of IP networks, presents the overall architecture, functional modules, multi‑plane networking design, and key technologies such as network elements, connection control, deterministic service, and inherent security. It also showcases typical scenarios and calls for industry collaboration on the next‑generation IP network architecture.

China Telecom IP Deterministic Slicing Whitepaper: Preface

With the emergence of diverse 5G and cloud‑era services, a single IP network must satisfy varied, differentiated, and deterministic requirements. Traditional shared networks cannot guarantee SLA, isolation, or independent operation for all services.

Network slicing enables operators to build multiple isolated logical networks on a common physical infrastructure, providing tenant‑level dedicated slices that meet industry‑specific connectivity, resource, and functional demands.

Existing transport networks only support FlexE‑based 5G large‑granularity hard slicing, lacking M‑level granularity. To address cost and scalability concerns, China Telecom proposes an IP deterministic slicing technology with M‑level slice granularity, delivering tenant‑level dedicated micro‑slices.

The whitepaper covers three aspects: deterministic slicing demand and background, the IP deterministic slicing architecture and key technologies, and the new network features and typical application scenarios, concluding with future outlooks.

By publishing this whitepaper at the Future Network Development Conference, China Telecom aims to engage researchers, engineers, industry participants, and customers to deepen understanding of IP deterministic slicing solutions and accelerate the digital, networked, and intelligent transformation of various sectors.