Cross-Layer Software-Defined 5G Network

In the past few decades, the world has witnessed a rapid growth in mobile communication and reaped great benefits from it. Even though the fourth generation (4G) mobile communication system is just being deployed worldwide, proliferating mobile demands call for newer wireless communication technologies with even better performance. Consequently, the fifth generation (5G) system is already emerging in the research field. However, simply evolving the current mobile networks can hardly meet such great expectations, because over the years the infrastructures have generally become ossified, closed, and vertically constructed. Aiming to establish a new paradigm for 5G mobile networks, in this article, we propose a cross-layer software-defined 5G network architecture. By jointly considering both the network layer and the physical layer together, we establish the two software-defined programmable components, the control plane and the cloud computing pool, which enable an effective control of the mobile network from the global perspective and benefit technological innovations. Specifically, by the cross-layer design for software-defining, the logically centralized and programmable control plane abstracts the control functions from the network layer down to the physical layer, through which we achieve the fine-grained controlling of mobile network, while the cloud computing pool provides powerful computing capability to implement the baseband data processing of multiple heterogeneous networks. We discuss the main challenges of our architecture, including the fine-grained control strategies, network virtualization, and programmability. The architecture significantly benefits the convergence towards heterogeneous networks and it enables much more controllable, programmable and evolvable mobile networks.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Mobile Networks & Application

Big-data-enabled software-defined cellular network management

With the development of big data collection and analysis technologies, the abundant mobile network information and traffic data provide opportunities for researchers to analyze and understand mobile networks better. However, the existing cellular network architecture do not facilitate the deployment of big mobile data analysis in practical networks. In order to use these data for network management, in this paper, we propose a new software-defined cellular network (SDCN) architecture, namely Big-Data-Enabled Architecture (BDEA), which can support big mobile data analysis and storage for efficient cellular network resource allocation. Based on BDEA, we also propose a virtuous network management cycle of data collection, data analysis and network deployment, which can increase the efficiency of network improvement and feedback. Several application cases of network resource allocation in BDEA are discussed to illustrate how big mobile data analysis can benefit network optimization. © 2016 IEEE.postprin

A software-defined architecture for next-generation cellular networks

In the recent years, mobile cellular networks are undergoing fundamental changes and many established concepts are being revisited. New emerging paradigms, such as Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), Internet of Things (IoT),and Mobile Social Networking (MSN), bring challenges in the design of cellular networks architectures. Current Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks are not able to accommodate these new trends in a scalable and efficient way. In this paper, first we discuss the limitations of the current LTE architecture. Second, driven by the new communication needs and by the advances in aforementioned areas, we propose a new architecture for next generation cellular networks. Some of its characteristics include support for distributed content routing, Heterogeneous Networks(HetNets) and multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). Finally, we present simulation results which show that significant backhaul traffic savings can be achieved by implementing caching and routing functions at the network edge

Mobile network architecture evolution toward 5G

As a chain is as strong as its weakest element, so are the efficiency, flexibility, and robustness of a mobile network, which relies on a range of different functional elements and mechanisms. Indeed, the mobile network architecture needs particular attention when discussing the evolution of 3GPP EPS because it is the architecture that integrates the many different future technologies into one mobile network. This article discusses 3GPP EPS mobile network evolution as a whole, analyzing specific architecture properties that are critical in future 3GPP EPS releases. In particular, this article discusses the evolution toward a "network of functions," network slicing, and software-defined mobile network control, management, and orchestration. Furthermore, the roadmap for the future evolution of 3GPP EPS and its technology components is detailed and relevant standards defining organizations are listed.This work has been performed in the framework of the H2020-ICT-2014-2 project 5G NORMA

Hybrid 5G optical-wireless SDN-based networks, challenges and open issues

The fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks are expected to bring higher capacity, higher density of mobile devices, lower battery consumption and improved coverage. 5G entails the convergence of wireless and wired communications in a unified and efficient architecture. Mobile nodes, as defined in fourth-generation era, are transformed in heterogeneous networks to make the front-haul wireless domains flexible and intelligent. This work highlights a set of critical challenges in advancing 5G networks, fuelled by the utilisation of the network function virtualisation, the software defined radio and the software defined networks techniques. Furthermore, a novel conceptual model is presented in terms of control and management planes, where the inner architectural components are introduced in detail

A NOvel radio multiservice adaptive network architecture for 5G networks

Proceeding of: 2015 IEEE 81st Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC Spring)This paper proposes a conceptually novel, adaptive and future-proof 5G mobile network architecture. The proposed architecture enables unprecedented levels of network customisability, ensuring stringent performance, security, cost and energy requirements to be met; as well as providing an API-driven architectural openness, fuelling economic growth through over-the-top innovation. Not following the 'one system fits all services' paradigm of current architectures, the architecture allows for adapting the mechanisms executed for a given service to the specific service requirements, resulting in a novel service- and context-dependent adaptation of network functions paradigm. The technical approach is based on the innovative concept of adaptive (de)composition and allocation of mobile network functions, which flexibly decomposes the mobile network functions and places the resulting functions in the most appropriate location. By doing so, access and core functions no longer (necessarily) reside in different locations, which is exploited to jointly optimize their operation when possible. The adaptability of the architecture is further strengthened by the innovative software-defined mobile network control and mobile multi-tenancy concepts

SD-MCAN: A Software-Defined Solution for IP Mobility in Campus Area Networks

Campus Area Networks (CANs) are a subset of enterprise networks, comprised of a network core connecting multiple Local Area Networks (LANs) across a college campus. Traditionally, hosts connect to the CAN via a single point of attachment; however, the past decade has seen the employment of mobile computing rise dramatically. Mobile devices must obtain new Internet Protocol (IP) addresses at each LAN as they migrate, wasting address space and disrupting host services. To prevent these issues, modern CANs should support IP mobility: allowing devices to keep a single IP address as they migrate between LANs with low-latency handoffs. Traditional approaches to mobility may be difficult to deploy and often lead to inefficient routing, but Software-Defined Networking (SDN) provides an intriguing alternative. This thesis identifies necessary requirements for a software-defined IP mobility system and then proposes one such system, the Software-Defined Mobile Campus Area Network (SD-MCAN) architecture. SD-MCAN employs an OpenFlow-based hybrid, label-switched routing scheme to efficiently route traffic flows between mobile hosts on the CAN. The proposed architecture is then implemented as an application on the existing POX controller and evaluated on virtual and hardware testbeds. Experimental results show that SD-MCAN can process handoffs with less than 90 ms latency, suggesting that the system can support data-intensive services on mobile host devices. Finally, the POX prototype is open-sourced to aid in future research