Challenges to support edge-as-a-service (original) (raw)

A new era in telecommunications is emerging. Virtualised networking functions and resources will offer network operators a way to shift the balance of expenditure from capital to operational, opening up networks to new and innovative services. This paper introduces the concept of Edge-as-a-Service (EaaS), a means of harnessing the flexibility of virtualised network functions and resources to enable network operators to break the tightly coupled relationship they have with their infrastructure and to enable more effective ways of generating revenue. To achieve this vision, we envisage a virtualised service access interface that can be used to programmatically alter access network functions and resources available to service providers in an elastic fashion. EaaS has many technically and economically difficult challenges that must be addressed before it can become a reality; the main challenges are summarised in this paper.