A User Centric Virtual Network Function Orchestration for Agile 5G Cloud-RAN

Abstract

The massive adoption of Cloud technology in mobile access networks has driven the operators and vendors to work together in order to make Radio Access Network (RAN) ecosystem more agile. In this context, the virtualization of network functions is the cornerstone of a successful Network Function Virtualization (NFV) environment. However, the stringent requirements of RAN functions make their deployment in a Cloud infrastructure more complex and prone to performance issues. In this respect, this paper puts forward a novel approach that adopts an agile orchestration of fine-grained RAN network functions in order to achieve higher flexibility and improve performances. Specifically, we address the orchestration of baseband processing network functions in a multi-sited Cloud infrastructure. To do so, we propose a user-centric solution, denoted UCS-CRAN, that optimizes the split of the baseband units, while considering both the requirements of its processing network functions and the capabilities of Cloud infrastructure. Based on extensive simulations, the results show that our proposal optimizes both processing and bandwidth usage while minimizing the energy consumption compared to cell-centric, distributed and centralized Cloud-RAN approaches.