5. Assumptions

DLEP assumes that a signaling protocol exists between modems participating in a network. This specification does not define the character or behavior of this over-the-air signaling but does expect some information to be carried (or derived) by the signaling, such as the arrival and departure of modems from this network, and the variation of the link characteristics between modems. This information is then assumed to be used by the modem to implement DLEP.

This specification assumes that the link between router and modem is static with respect to data rate and latency and that this link is not likely to be the cause of a performance bottleneck. In deployments where the router and modem are physically separated by multiple network hops, served by Layer 2 tunneling technology, DLEP statistics on the RF links could be insufficient for routing protocols to make appropriate routing decisions. This would especially become an issue in cases where the Layer 2 tunnel between router and modem is itself served in part (or in total) with a wireless backhaul link.