Handover management in SDN-based mobile networks

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the evolution of mobility management mechanisms in mobile networks. We emphasize problems with current mobility management approaches in case of very high dense and heterogeneous networks. The main contribution of the paper is a discussion on how the Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technology can be applied in mobile networks in order to efficiently handle mobility in the context of future mobile networks (5G) or evolved LTE. The discussion addresses the most important problems related to mobility management like preservation of session continuity and scalability of handovers in very dense mobile networks. Three variants of SDN usage in order to handle mobility are described and compared in this paper. The most advanced of these variants shows how mobility management mechanisms can be easily integrated with autonomie management mechanisms, providing much more advanced functionality than is provided now by the SON approach. Such mechanisms increase robustness of the handover and optimize the usage of wireless and wired mobile network resources.