Abstract
The fifth generation (5G) of cellular networks promises to be a major step in the evolution of wireless technology. 5G is planned to be used in a very broad set of application scenarios. These scenarios have strict heterogeneous requirements that will be accomplished by enhancements on the radio access network and a collection of innovative wireless technologies. Softwarization technologies, such as Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV), will play a key role in integrating these different technologies. Network slicing emerges as a cost-efficient solution for the implementation of the diverse 5G requirements and verticals. The 5G radio access and core networks will be based on a SDN/NFV infrastructure, which will be able to orchestrate the resources and control the network in order to efficiently and flexibly and with scalability provide network services. In this paper, we present the up-to-date status of the software-defined 5G radio access and core networks and a broad range of future research challenges on the orchestration and control aspects.
Highlights
The fifth generation (5G) of cellular networks aims at revolutionizing the world of wireless communication. 5G will be characterized by ubiquitous connectivity, extremely low latency, and very high-speed data transfer
A vertical service relaxes the conceptual restriction of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) to networking functions, which is the main characteristic of a network service
Different services, such as vehicular networking and e-health, require from the mobile network very different Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Supporting all these requirements on the same infrastructure entails a disruptive reengineering of the network architecture. This scenario requires a key feature to 5G: it should represent a holistic orchestration platform, where computing resources are distributed within the network including sites of the vertical industry stakeholders, within the base stations, in edge clouds at central offices, in regional and central clouds, and managed by different stakeholders
Summary
The fifth generation (5G) of cellular networks aims at revolutionizing the world of wireless communication. 5G will be characterized by ubiquitous connectivity, extremely low latency, and very high-speed data transfer. A revolutionary aspect given by the 5G vertical concept is the key new business paradigm that implies the support of very heterogeneous services on the same infrastructure Different services, such as vehicular networking and e-health, require from the mobile network very different Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) (e.g., low latency, high capacity, or service continuity). This scenario requires a key feature to 5G: it should represent a holistic orchestration platform, where computing resources are distributed within the network including sites of the vertical industry stakeholders, within the base stations, in edge clouds at central offices, in regional and central clouds, and managed by different stakeholders To this aim, the introduction and implementation of the network slicing concept are a key tool that can enable operators to deliver tailored and customized connectivity and services for different business verticals and use cases.
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