SoftBank Corp. began providing limited commercial services using Segment Routing IPv6 Mobile User Plane (SRv6 MUP) on its 5G network, marking what the company says is the world’s first deployment of this technology in a live commercial environment. The services run over Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and target lower-latency applications enabled by 5G features such as Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and network slicing.
SoftBank developed SRv6 MUP to simplify mobile user-plane architectures and reduce costs compared with traditional mobile core designs. After field trials conducted in February 2023 and subsequent technical verification, the company integrated SRv6 MUP into its commercial 5G network and began service delivery in December 2025. SoftBank plans to expand coverage gradually, applying operational insights gained from the initial rollout.
The implementation relies on Broadcom’s Jericho2 family routing silicon, Arrcus’ ArcOS network operating system, and the VMware Telco Cloud Platform from Broadcom. SoftBank said it will continue validating additional commercial services and will work with technology partners and international operators to promote wider adoption of SRv6 MUP for MEC and network slicing use cases.
- First commercial deployment of SRv6 MUP on a live 5G network, according to SoftBank
- Initial services delivered via 5G Fixed Wireless Access
- Designed to reduce cost and complexity of mobile user-plane architectures
- Supports low-latency services tied to MEC and network slicing
- Built on Broadcom Jericho2 routing silicon with Arrcus ArcOS and VMware Telco Cloud Platform
Shekar Ayyar, CEO and Chairman of Arrcus, said: “SRv6 MUP from SoftBank is game-changing in its ability to deliver low latency and high-fidelity applications on top of 5G infrastructure. We are delighted to have Arrcus play a key role in partnering with SoftBank.”
🌐 Analysis
SoftBank’s commercial SRv6 MUP deployment signals growing operator interest in segment routing as a foundation for 5G user-plane evolution, especially for cost-sensitive FWA and edge-driven services. Other operators and vendors, including Broadcom ecosystem partners and competing routing silicon suppliers, are advancing SRv6 and user-plane disaggregation as networks prepare for more granular slicing and latency-sensitive applications.
