CMT-SRv6: A Customizable Multipath Transmission Scheme for 6G Edge Network

5G continuously advances deep integration with vertical industries, facilitated by technologies such as network slicing. As a further evolution, the architecture design of 6G will continue to deepen the user plane sinking, targeting more diversified edge scenarios. In this regard, the sinking user plane will expose the previously closed bearer network to untrusted domains, leading to more security challenges in data transmission. In addition, diverse edge scenarios often have differentiated transmission requirements, urgently requiring transmission strategies that can provide customizable performance metrics. Furthermore, the development trend of customizable services renders the traditional GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP) inadequate due to its lack of underlying network awareness, positioning segment routing over IPv6 (SRv6) as a viable alternative given its powerful programmability. Hence, this article proposes a customizable multipath transmission scheme (CMT-SRv6) based on the information dispersal algorithm (IDA) and multipath routing for SRv6 transmission. It supports dynamically adjusting transmission strategies for scenarios with different security levels and integrates with the 6G network architecture. The simulation section comprehensively considers security, reliability, and cost, verifying that the comprehensive performance of this solution is optimal in various security scenarios. A prototype system based on the proposed solution is built and validated in terms of feasibility, security, and reliability. Results show that CMT-SRv6 has better throughput and effectively enhances the security and reliability of network transmission.