Modelling and implementation of virtual radio resources management for 5G Cloud RAN (original) (raw)
Related papers
Virtualized Cloud Radio Access Network for 5G Transport
IEEE Communications Magazine, 2017
Current Radio Access Networks (RANs) need to evolve to handle diverse service requirements coming from the growing number of connected devices and increasing data rates for the upcoming 5G era. Incremental improvements on traditional distributed RANs cannot satisfy these requirements, so the novel and disruptive concept of cloud-RAN (CRAN) has been proposed to decouple digital units (DUs) and radio units (RUs) of base stations (BSs), and centralize DUs into a central office, where virtualization and cloud computing technologies are leveraged to move DUs in the "cloud". However, separating RUs and DUs requires low-latency and high-bandwidth connectivity links, called "fronthaul", as opposed to traditional backhaul links. Hence, design of the 5G transport network, i.e., the part of the network that carries mobile data traffic between BSs and the core network and data centers, is key to meet the new 5G mobile service requirements and effectively transport the fronthaul traffic. Today, consensus has not yet been achieved on how the fronthaul traffic will be transported between RUs and DUs, and how virtualization of network resources will occur from radio network segment to the centralized baseband processing units. In this article, we present a new 5G architecture called virtualized-CRAN (V-CRAN) moving towards a cell-less 5G network architecture. We leverage the concept of a "virtualized-BS" (V-BS) that can be optimally formed by exploiting several enabling technologies such as softwaredefined radio (SDR) and Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) Transmission/Reception. V-BS can be formed on a per-cell basis or peruser basis by allocating virtualized resources on demand. For the fronthaul solution, our approach exploits the passive optical network (PON), where a wavelength can be dynamically assigned and shared to form "virtualized" PON (VPON). Several use cases of V-CRAN are presented to show how network architecture evolution can enhance system throughput, energy efficiency, and mobility management.
Radio Access Network Virtualization for Future Mobile Carrier Networks
This article presents a survey of cellular network sharing, which is a key building block for virtualizing future mobile carrier networks in order to address the explosive capacity demand of mobile traffic, and reduce the CAPEX and OPEX burden faced by operators to handle this demand. We start by reviewing the 3GPP network sharing standardized functionality followed by a discussion on emerging business models calling for additional features. Then an overview of the RAN sharing enhancements currently being considered by the 3GPP RSE Study Item is presented. Based on the developing network sharing needs, a summary of the state of the art of mobile carrier network virtualization is provided, encompassing RAN sharing as well as a higher level of base station programmability and customization for the sharing entities. As an example of RAN virtualization techniques feasibility, a solution based on spectrum sharing is presented: the network virtualization substrate (NVS), which can be natively implemented in base stations. NVS performance is evaluated in an LTE network by means of simulation, showing that it can meet the needs of future virtualized mobile carrier networks in terms of isolation, utilization, and customization.
Dynamic Allocation of Processing Resources in Cloud-RAN for a Virtualised 5G Mobile Network
2018 26th European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO), 2018
One of the main research directions for 5G mobile networks is resource virtualisation and slicing. Towards this goal, the Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) architecture offers mobile operators a flexible and dynamic framework for managing resources and processing data. This paper proposes a dynamic allocation approach for processing resources in a C- RAN supported by the concept of Network Function Vitualisation (NFV). To achieve this objective, we virtualised the Baseband Unit (BBU) resources for Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile network into a BBU pool supported by Linux Container (LXC) technology. We report on experiments conducted in the Iris testbed with high-definition video streaming by implementing Software-Defined Radio (SDR)-based LTE functionality with the virtualised BBU pool. Our results show a significant improvement in the quality of the video transmission with this dynamic allocation approach.
LTE mobile network virtualization
Mobile Networks and Applications, 2011
Network virtualization is receiving immense attention in the research community all over the world. There is no doubt that it will play a significant role in shaping the way we do networking in the future. There have been different approaches to virtualize different aspects of the network: some are focusing on resource virtualization like node, server and router virtualization; while others are focusing on building a framework to set up virtual networks on the fly based on different virtual resources. Nevertheless, one very important piece of the puzzle is still missing, that is “Wireless Virtualization”. The virtualization of the wireless medium has not yet received the appropriate attention it is entitled to, and there have only been some early attempts in this field. In this paper a general framework for virtualizing the wireless medium is proposed and investigated. This framework focuses on virtualizing mobile communication systems so that multiple operators can share the same physical resources while being able to stay isolated from each other. We mainly focus on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) but the framework can also be generalized to fit any other wireless system. The goal of the paper is to exploit the advantages that can be obtained from virtualizing the LTE system, more specifically virtualizing the air interface (i.e. spectrum sharing). Two different possible gain areas are explored: spectrum multiplexing and multi-user diversity.
Dynamic Virtual Resource Allocation in Virtualized multi-RAT Cellular Networks
Wireless Personal Communications, 2017
The legacy wireless systems are designed to exploit static configuration and deployment, and cannot handle the discrepancies of the spatio-temporal traffic demand. Cloud RAN (C-RAN) is a novel flexible radio technology that utilizes the virtualization concepts and can efficiently address the static deployment of conventional wireless systems. The C-RAN also leverages high radio network flexibility by introducing the network function virtualization approach to wireless networks. This paper presents a novel C-RAN platform that virtualizes and operates with full GSM and LTE systems. The presented platform is solely based on open-source and off the shelf solutions, providing easy implementation, low cost and high scalability. The paper also introduces a novel dynamic resource allocation algorithm that facilitates the C-RAN's optimal performance in dynamic scenarios. The proposed algorithm is analyzed and validated on the presented C-RAN platform. The results of the performance analysis clearly show the advantages of the proposed dynamic resource allocation algorithm. Moreover, they prove the applicability of the C-RAN platform for variety of different scenarios.
2017 IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing (ICAC), 2017
Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) is emerging as a transformative architecture for the next generation of mobile cellular networks. In C-RAN, the Baseband Unit (BBU) is decoupled from the Base Station (BS) and consolidated in a centralized processing center. While the potential benefits of C-RAN have been studied extensively from the theoretical perspective, there are only a few works that address the system implementation issues and characterize the computational requirements of the virtualized BBU. In this paper, a programmable C-RAN testbed is presented where the BBU is virtualized using the OpenAir-Interface (OAI) software platform, and the eNodeB and User Equipment (UEs) are implemented using USRP boards. Extensive experiments have been performed in a FDD downlink LTE emulation system to characterize the performance and computing resource consumption of the BBU under various conditions. It is shown that the processing time and CPU utilization of the BBU increase with the channel resources and with the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) index, and that the CPU utilization percentage can be well approximated as a linear increasing function of the maximum downlink data rate. These results provide real-world insights into the characteristics of the BBU in terms of computing resource and power consumption, which may serve as inputs for the design of efficient resource-provisioning and allocation strategies in C-RAN systems.
Network virtualization for Mobile Operators in Software-Defined based LTE networks
2017 IFIP/IEEE Symposium on Integrated Network and Service Management (IM), 2017
In this paper, we propose a novel cellular network architecture including network virtualization controller for mobile core and backhaul sharing. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) based network virtualization is applied into Evolved Packet System (EPS) architecture of Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. After virtualization of all evolved Node-Bs (eNodeBs) associated with different Mobile Operators (MOs) as a consequence of mobile core and backhaul sharing, the performances of eNodeB assignment mechanisms with the use of quality-of-service (QoS)-aware and QoS-unaware scheduling algorithms are investigated and compared with currently deployed static eNodeB distributions through Monte-Carlo simulations. Jain's fairness index, Shannon capacity and satisfied-MO-ratio are considered as the key performance indicators (KPIs). The results reveal that our proposed architecture outperforms the currently deployed network architecture as depending on proper scheduler selection.
Service Based Virtual RAN Architecture for Next Generation Cellular Systems
IEEE Access
Service based architecture (SBA) is a paradigm shift from Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) to microservices, combining their principles. Network virtualization enables the application of SBA in cellular systems. To better guide the software design of this virtualized cellular system with SBA, this paper presents a software perspective and a positional approach to using fundamental development principles for adapting SBA in virtualized Radio Access Networks (vRANs). First, we present the motivation for using an SBA in cellular radio systems. Then, we explore the critical requirements, key principles, and components for the software to provide radio services in SBA. We also explore the potential of applying SBA-based Radio Access Network (RAN) by comparing the functional split requirements of 5G RAN with existing open-source software and accelerated hardware implementations of service bus, and discuss the limitations of SBA. Finally, we present some discussions, future directions, and a roadmap of applying such a high-level design perspective of SBA to next-generation RAN infrastructure. INDEX TERMS Service-based architecture, network interfaces, radio access networks, software.
Benefits and Challenges of Cloud Technologies for 5G Architecture
2015 IEEE 81st Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC Spring), 2015
This paper focuses on the practical implementation of a Cloud-RAN architecture in the context of future 5G systems, with particular emphasis on different aspects of the functional split between the cloud platform and the radio access points. First, we provide a comprehensive overview of implementation aspects and how different hardware options impact the implementation of RAN functionality. We further discuss a virtualized infrastructure which may have a significant impact on how algorithms are implemented, how they interact with each other, and how they can be scaled within the RAN. We also analyze implementation constraints to be considered to provide backwards compatibility with 3GPP LTE; such constraints on the computing platforms result from the RAN requirements in terms of latency and throughput. Finally, the level of flexibility achievable by the proposed architecture is described from a practical point of view.
5G Radio Access Networks: Centralized RAN, Cloud-RAN, and Virtualization of Small Cells
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4987-4710-3 (paperback) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers.