SDN/NFV-enabled satellite communications networks: opportunities, scenarios and challenges

In the context of next generation 5G networks, the satellite industry is clearly committed to revisit and revamp the role of satellite communications. As major drivers in the evolution of (terrestrial) fixed and mobile networks, Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) technologies are also being positioned as central technology enablers towards improved and more flexible integration of satellite and terrestrial segments, providing satellite network further service innovation and business agility by advanced network resources management techniques. Through the analysis of scenarios and use cases, this paper provides a description of the benefits that SDN/NFV technologies can bring into satellite communications towards 5G. Three scenarios are presented and analysed to delineate different potential improvement areas pursued through the introduction of SDN/NFV technologies in the satellite ground segment domain. Within each scenario, a number of use cases are developed to gain further insight into specific capabilities and to identify the technical challenges stemming from them.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Big data assisted CRAN enabled 5G SON architecture

The recent development of Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G network technology offers a plethora of opportunities to the IT industry and mobile network operators. 5G cellular technology promises to offer connectivity to massive numbers of IoT devices while meeting low-latency data transmission requirements. A deficiency of the current 4G networks is that the data from IoT devices and mobile nodes are merely passed on to the cloud and the communication infrastructure does not play a part in data analysis. Instead of only passing data on to the cloud, the system could also contribute to data analysis and decision-making. In this work, a Big Data driven self-optimized 5G network design is proposed using the knowledge of emerging technologies CRAN, NVF and SDN. Also, some technical impediments in 5G network optimization are discussed. A case study is presented to demonstrate the assistance of Big Data in solving the resource allocation problem