A survey of machine learning techniques applied to self organizing cellular networks

In this paper, a survey of the literature of the past fifteen years involving Machine Learning (ML) algorithms applied to self organizing cellular networks is performed. In order for future networks to overcome the current limitations and address the issues of current cellular systems, it is clear that more intelligence needs to be deployed, so that a fully autonomous and flexible network can be enabled. This paper focuses on the learning perspective of Self Organizing Networks (SON) solutions and provides, not only an overview of the most common ML techniques encountered in cellular networks, but also manages to classify each paper in terms of its learning solution, while also giving some examples. The authors also classify each paper in terms of its self-organizing use-case and discuss how each proposed solution performed. In addition, a comparison between the most commonly found ML algorithms in terms of certain SON metrics is performed and general guidelines on when to choose each ML algorithm for each SON function are proposed. Lastly, this work also provides future research directions and new paradigms that the use of more robust and intelligent algorithms, together with data gathered by operators, can bring to the cellular networks domain and fully enable the concept of SON in the near future

A Big Data and machine learning approach for network monitoring and security

In the last decade the performances of 802.11 (Wi-Fi) devices skyrocketed. Today it is possible to realize gigabit wireless links spanning across kilometers at a fraction of the cost of the wired equivalent. In the same period, mesh network evolved from being experimental tools confined into university labs, to systems running in several real world scenarios. Mesh networks can now provide city-wide coverage and can compete on the market of Internet access. Yet, being wireless distributed networks, mesh networks are still hard to maintain and monitor. This paper explains how today we can perform monitoring, anomaly detection and root cause analysis in mesh networks using Big Data techniques. It first describes the architecture of a modern mesh network, it justifies the use of Big Data techniques and provides a design for the storage and analysis of Big Data produced by a large-scale mesh network. While proposing a generic infrastructure, we focus on its application in the security domain