Will SDN be part of 5G?

For many, this is no longer a valid question and the case is considered settled with SDN/NFV (Software Defined Networking/Network Function Virtualization) providing the inevitable innovation enablers solving many outstanding management issues regarding 5G. However, given the monumental task of softwarization of radio access network (RAN) while 5G is just around the corner and some companies have started unveiling their 5G equipment already, the concern is very realistic that we may only see some point solutions involving SDN technology instead of a fully SDN-enabled RAN. This survey paper identifies all important obstacles in the way and looks at the state of the art of the relevant solutions. This survey is different from the previous surveys on SDN-based RAN as it focuses on the salient problems and discusses solutions proposed within and outside SDN literature. Our main focus is on fronthaul, backward compatibility, supposedly disruptive nature of SDN deployment, business cases and monetization of SDN related upgrades, latency of general purpose processors (GPP), and additional security vulnerabilities, softwarization brings along to the RAN. We have also provided a summary of the architectural developments in SDN-based RAN landscape as not all work can be covered under the focused issues. This paper provides a comprehensive survey on the state of the art of SDN-based RAN and clearly points out the gaps in the technology.Comment: 33 pages, 10 figure

A novel design approach for 5G massive MIMO and NB-IoT green networks using a hybrid Jaya-differential evolution algorithm

Our main objective is to reduce power consumption by responding to the instantaneous bit rate demand by the user for 4th Generation (4G) and 5th Generation (5G) Massive MIMO network configurations. Moreover, we present and address the problem of designing green LTE networks with the Internet of Things (IoT) nodes. We consider the new NarrowBand-IoT (NB-IoT) wireless technology that will emerge in current and future access networks. In this context, we apply emerging evolutionary algorithms in the context of green network design. We investigate three different cases to show the performance of the new proposed algorithm, namely the 4G, 5G Massive MIMO, and the NB-IoT technologies. More specifically, we investigate the Teaching-Learning-Optimization (TLBO), the Jaya algorithm, the self-adaptive differential evolution jDE algorithm, and other hybrid algorithms. We introduce a new hybrid algorithm named Jaya-jDE that uses concepts from both Jaya and jDE algorithms in an effective way. The results show that 5G Massive MIMO networks require about 50% less power consumption than the 4G ones, and the NB-IoT in-band deployment requires about 10% less power than guard-band deployment. Moreover, Jaya-jDE emerges as the best algorithm based on the results