A Disaggregated MEC Architecture Enabling Open Services and Novel Business Models

Network and Service Providers are exploring different exploitation strategies for the Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC), mainly motivated by the opportunities for saving costs and generating new revenues (e.g., through new business models). On the other hand, the overall standardization picture is still very fragmented, delaying or even jeopardizing the real exploitation of MEC; furthermore, current standardization efforts are mainly envisioning a traditional monolithic architecture, with many technological partners but a single administrative domain. This paper argues that a clear separation of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS levels for MEC, together with standardized interfaces, will help accelerating the development of new business roles (e.g., IaaS, PaaS and SaaS providers) and models, possibly replacing the current competition-oriented practices in the telco domain with new forms of cooperation, which are already starting to appear in the IT sector. In this direction, this paper proposes a disaggregated MEC architecture and presents two use cases that show how different categories of resources and services could be provided by infrastructure, platform and software providers in an evolutionary scenario towards 5G

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

Network Service Orchestration: A Survey

Business models of network service providers are undergoing an evolving transformation fueled by vertical customer demands and technological advances such as 5G, Software Defined Networking~(SDN), and Network Function Virtualization~(NFV). Emerging scenarios call for agile network services consuming network, storage, and compute resources across heterogeneous infrastructures and administrative domains. Coordinating resource control and service creation across interconnected domains and diverse technologies becomes a grand challenge. Research and development efforts are being devoted to enabling orchestration processes to automate, coordinate, and manage the deployment and operation of network services. In this survey, we delve into the topic of Network Service Orchestration~(NSO) by reviewing the historical background, relevant research projects, enabling technologies, and standardization activities. We define key concepts and propose a taxonomy of NSO approaches and solutions to pave the way towards a common understanding of the various ongoing efforts around the realization of diverse NSO application scenarios. Based on the analysis of the state of affairs, we present a series of open challenges and research opportunities, altogether contributing to a timely and comprehensive survey on the vibrant and strategic topic of network service orchestration.Comment: Accepted for publication at Computer Communications Journa

Network Slicing Landscape: A holistic architectural approach, orchestration and management with applicability in mobile and fixed networks and clouds

Tutorial at IEEE NetSoft2018 - 29th June 2018 Montreal Abstract: A holistic architectural approach, orchestration and management with applicability in mobile and fixed networks and clouds Topics: Key Slicing concepts and history Slicing Key Characteristics & Usage scenarios & Value Chain Multi-Domain Network Function Virtualisation Review of Research projects and results in network and cloud slicing Open Source Orchestrators Standard Organization activities: NGMN, ITU-T, ONF, 3GPP, ETSI, BBF, IETF Industrial perspective on Network Slicing Review of industry Use Cases Network Slicing Challenges Concluding remarks of Network Slicing Acknowledgements & Reference

Progressive introduction of network softwarization in operational telecom networks: advances at architectural, service and transport levels

Technological paradigms such as Software Defined Networking, Network Function Virtualization and Network Slicing are altogether offering new ways of providing services. This process is widely known as Network Softwarization, where traditional operational networks adopt capabilities and mechanisms inherit form the computing world, such as programmability, virtualization and multi-tenancy. This adoption brings a number of challenges, both from the technological and operational perspectives. On the other hand, they provide an unprecedented flexibility opening opportunities to developing new services and new ways of exploiting and consuming telecom networks. This Thesis first overviews the implications of the progressive introduction of network softwarization in operational networks for later on detail some advances at different levels, namely architectural, service and transport levels. It is done through specific exemplary use cases and evolution scenarios, with the goal of illustrating both new possibilities and existing gaps for the ongoing transition towards an advanced future mode of operation. This is performed from the perspective of a telecom operator, paying special attention on how to integrate all these paradigms into operational networks for assisting on their evolution targeting new, more sophisticated service demands.Programa de Doctorado en Ingeniería Telemática por la Universidad Carlos III de MadridPresidente: Eduardo Juan Jacob Taquet.- Secretario: Francisco Valera Pintor.- Vocal: Jorge López Vizcaín

NECOS Project: Towards Lightweight Slicing of Cloud Federated Infrastructures

The Novel Enablers for Cloud Slicing (NECOS) project addresses the limitations of current cloud computing infrastructures to respond to the demand for new services, as presented in two use-cases, that will drive the whole execution of the project. The first use-case is focused on Telco service provider and is oriented towards the adoption of cloud computing in their large networks. The second use-case is targeting the use of edge clouds to support devices with low computation and storage capacity. The envisaged solution is based on a new concept, the Lightweight Slice Defined Cloud (LSDC), as an approach that extends the virtualization to all the resources in the involved networks and data centers and provides uniform management with a high-level of orchestration. In this position paper, we discuss the motivation, objectives, architecture, research challenges (and how to overcome them) and initial efforts for the NECOS project

5G Network Slicing using SDN and NFV: A Survey of Taxonomy, Architectures and Future Challenges

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review and updated solutions related to 5G network slicing using SDN and NFV. Firstly, we present 5G service quality and business requirements followed by a description of 5G network softwarization and slicing paradigms including essential concepts, history and different use cases. Secondly, we provide a tutorial of 5G network slicing technology enablers including SDN, NFV, MEC, cloud/Fog computing, network hypervisors, virtual machines & containers. Thidly, we comprehensively survey different industrial initiatives and projects that are pushing forward the adoption of SDN and NFV in accelerating 5G network slicing. A comparison of various 5G architectural approaches in terms of practical implementations, technology adoptions and deployment strategies is presented. Moreover, we provide a discussion on various open source orchestrators and proof of concepts representing industrial contribution. The work also investigates the standardization efforts in 5G networks regarding network slicing and softwarization. Additionally, the article presents the management and orchestration of network slices in a single domain followed by a comprehensive survey of management and orchestration approaches in 5G network slicing across multiple domains while supporting multiple tenants. Furthermore, we highlight the future challenges and research directions regarding network softwarization and slicing using SDN and NFV in 5G networks.Comment: 40 Pages, 22 figures, published in computer networks (Open Access

A Comprehensive Survey on 5G Adaptive Network Slicing: Key Technological Principles, Deployment and Operation Challenges

Ο κλάδος των τηλεπικοινωνιών μεταβαίνει από ένα "οριζόντιο" μοντέλο παροχής υπηρεσιών στο οποίο οι υπηρεσίες καθορίζονται ανεξάρτητα από τις ανάγκες των πελατών τους και κατευθύνεται προς ένα "κάθετο" μοντέλο παροχής υπηρεσιών στο οποίο οι υπηρεσίες που προσφέρονται διαμορφώνονται ανάλογα με τις ανάγκες των καταναλωτών. Για να καταστεί δυνατή αυτή η μετάβαση, απαιτείται μια ισχυρή υποδομή 5G από άκρο σε άκρο, με τεχνολογίες ικανές να εξυπηρετούν τις διάφορες περιπτώσεις χρήσης κάθε βιομηχανίας. Ένα κρίσιμο στοιχείο αυτής της αρχιτεκτονικής είναι η ενσωμάτωση της έννοιας του τεμαχισμού του δικτύου (network slicing) πάνω από την υπάρχουσα υποδομή ενός Παρόχου για την παροχή υπηρεσιών που διαφέρουν μεταξύ τους σε μεγάλο βαθμό τόσο στα χαρακτηριστικά τους όσο και στην απόδοση, καθώς και ένα μηχανισμό διαχείρισης του τεμαχισμού του δικτύου ικανό να διαχειρίζεται ταυτόχρονα πολλές φέτες. Σε αυτή τη μελέτη, εμπεριέχεται μια ολοκληρωμένη συζήτηση για την έννοια και την αρχιτεκτονική του συστήματος του τεμαχισμού δικτύου από την οπτική γωνιά του Παρόχου αυτών των υπηρεσιών αναλύοντας κρίσιμες πτυχές διαχείρισης των Control, User, Management and Orchestration Planes. Θέλω να επισημάνω ότι ορισμένοι οργανισμοί καθορίζουν τα χαρακτηριστικά των δομών και διεπαφών που απαιτούνται για την ενσωμάτωση ενός μεγάλου αριθμού στοιχείων σε μια λειτουργική δομή που μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί στα συστήματα Παρόχου υπηρεσιών με βάση διάφορα επιχειρηματικά μοντέλα και περιπτώσεις χρήσης. Επίσης παρέχεται μια διεξοδική επισκόπηση ενός πρωτοτύπου ικανό να αναπτύξει τις φέτες που χρειάζονται οι διάφοροι πελάτες και να τους προσφέρει μια φιλική προς το χρήστη διεπαφή για να διαχειρίζονται τις φέτες του δικτύου που τους αντιστοιχεί. Τέλος παραθέτω κάποιες περαιτέρω ανοικτές ερευνητικές κατευθύνσεις και υπάρχουσες προκλήσεις, όπως ο διαχωρισμός της στοίβας πρωτοκόλλων της ραδιοεπαφής, ο διαχωρισμός των Over-the-Top εφαρμογών σε μικροϋπηρεσίες (microservices), την επίπτωση του τεμαχισμού του δικτύου στο επίπεδο μεταφοράς και τέλος θέματα λειτουργίας και διασφάλισης των παρεχόμενων υπηρεσιών με σκοπό την παρακίνηση για τον περαιτέρω εκσυγχρονισμό των μηχανισμών που χρησιμοποιούνται στην βιομηχανία και την επισήμανση ρεαλιστικών παρατηρήσεων γι’ αυτήν την αναδυόμενη τεχνολογία.The telecom industry is transitioning away from a "horizontal" service delivery model in which services are specified independently of their customers’ needs and heading towards a "vertical" service delivery model in which services are targeted to particular industry segments and verticals. To make this transition possible, a robust end-to-end 5G infrastructure is needed, with technologies able to serve the various vertical industries' use cases. A crucial element of this architecture is the integration of network slicing over a single infrastructure to provide incredibly diverse vertical services, as well as a network slicing management framework capable of managing several slices concurrently. In this study, comprehensive discussion is provided on concept and system architecture of network slicing with particular focus on its business aspect and how Control, User, Management and Orchestration Planes are addressed. A number of organizations are focusing on standardizing the design structures and interfaces needed for integrating a large number of components into a functional structure that can be applied within provider/operator systems based on a variety of business models and use cases. Furthermore, a thorough overview of a prototype is being presented which is capable of deploying the slices needed by the various vertical players and providing them with a user-friendly interface to handle their slice. The proposed product integrates additional modules to include improved management and orchestration and control capabilities, as well as a potential end-to-end testing platform, and expands on current standardization activities. Concluding with open research directions and existing challenges like Radio protocol stack disaggregation, Over-the-Top application disaggregation into microservices, the IP perspective of network slicing and operation and service assurance considerations with the purpose of motivating new advances and adding realistic remarks to this emerging technology