System and method for transporting digital radio signal streams in a small cell network environment

One or more non-transitory media that includes code for execution and when executed by one or more processors is operable to perform operations comprising:

• segmenting a radio signal stream into multiple sub-streams based on a control word included in the radio signal stream, the control word identifying a type of the radio signal stream;
• transporting the segmented radio signal stream in packets through channels over a backhaul link, wherein each of the sub-streams is transported over a different one of the channels;
• and
• providing a single collective control channel along the backhaul link, the control channel related to all of the channels collectively for communicating channel bundling information for the radio signal stream between network elements disposed at opposite ends of the backhaul link, the channel bundling information for facilitating segmentation of the radio signal stream into the sub-streams on one end of the backhaul link and reassembly of the sub-streams into the radio signal stream on the opposite end of the backhaul link.

An apparatus, comprising:

• one or more processors operable to execute instructions such that the apparatus is configured for:
• segmenting a radio signal stream into multiple sub-streams based on a control word included in the radio signal stream, the control word identifying a type of the radio signal stream;
• transporting the segmented radio signal stream in packets through channels over a backhaul link, wherein each of the sub-streams is transported over a different one of the channels;
• and
• providing a single collective control channel along the backhaul link, the control channel related to all of the channels collectively for communicating channel bundling information for the radio signal stream between network elements disposed at opposite ends of the backhaul link, the channel bundling information for facilitating segmentation of the radio signal stream into the sub-streams on one end of the backhaul link and reassembly of the sub-streams into the radio signal stream on the opposite end of the backhaul link.