SDN/NFV-Based Mobile Packet Core Network Architectures : A Survey

• The emergence of two new technologies, namely Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) have radically changed the development of network functions and the evolution of network architectures. These two technologies bring to mobile operators the promises of reducing costs, enhancing network flexibility and scalability, and shortening the time-to-market of new applications and services. With the advent of SDN and NFV and their offered benefits, the mobile operators are gradually changing the way how they architect their mobile networks to cope with ever-increasing growth of data traffic, massive number of new devices and network accesses, and to pave the way towards the upcoming fifth generation (5G) networking. This paper aims at providing a comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art research work, which leverages SDN and NFV into the most recent mobile packet core network architecture, Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The research work is categorized into smaller groups according to a proposed four-dimensional taxonomy reflecting the (1) architectural ap- proach, (2) technology adoption, (3) functional implementation, and (4) deployment strategy. Thereafter, the research work is exhaustively compared based on the proposed taxonomy and some added attributes and criteria. Finally, the paper identifies and discusses some major challenges and open issues such as scalability and reliability, optimal resource scheduling and allocation, management and orchestration, network sharing and slicing that raise from the taxonomy and comparison tables that need to be further investigated and explored. 

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Telekommunikation (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Telecommunications (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

software defined network

sdn

network function virtualization

nfv

mobile packet core

evolved packet core

epc

future mobile networks

5g networking

Computer Science

Datavetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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