OpenFlow Enabled Mobile and Wireless Networks
- Executive Summary
- SDN Overview
- Trends and Challenges
- Mobile Network Use Cases
- Key Benefits
- Conclusion
ONF Solution Brief September 30, 2013
Executive Summary
The explosion of mobile services has arguably revolutionized communications just as much as mobile’s predecessor: ...
The tremendous growth in mobile data, the inherent need to simultaneously operate over multiple wireless technologies, and the rapidly evolving mobile services market impose significant challenges for today’s architecture.
SDN architectures provide an agile and cost-effective communications platform for addressing these challenges, while attaining the high degree of scalability, security, and flexibility needed to support a diverse complement of services.
OpenFlow-based Software Defined Networking delivers substantive advantages for mobile and wireless networks, including:
- Resource optimization for dynamic environments
-
Automation to streamline operations - Granular control and policy management
- Innovation and
differentiation - Openness
SDN Overview
- The Application Layer
- end-user business applications that consume the SDN communications services.
- The Control Layer
- consolidated control functionality that supervises the network forwarding behavior through an open interface.
- The Infrastructure Layer
- consists of the network elements (NE) and devices
- Logically centralized intelligence
- …
- Programmability
- SDN networks are inherently controlled by software functionality
provided by vendors or the network operators themselves.
-
management paradigm to be replaced by automation
- open APIs for applications to interact with the network, SDN networks can achieve unprecedented innovation and differentiation.
- Abstraction
-
ensure portability and future-proofing of investments in network services, the network software resident in the Control Layer.
Trends and Challenges
- multiple generations of mobile services (i.e., 3G and 4G) along with a range of user services
- widely varying traffic properties
OpenFlow-based SDN in the mobile network
compel the need for a new network architecture that overcomes the limitations of today’s network architecture …
- Difficult to scale
- difficult to management
require significant expertise and platform resources to operate the network
-
Inflexible.
Today’s networks require weeks or even months to introduce new services because of the manually intensive processes for service activation, delivery, and assurance.
OpenFlow-based SDN offers a number of benefits for mobile networks, including wireless access segments, mobile backhaul networks, and core networks.
- The flow paradigm of SDN is particularly well suited to provide end-to-end communications across multiple distinct technologies, such as 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, etc.
- Logically centralized control allows for efficient base-station coordination
addressing inter-cell interference
- SDN enables path management to be optimized based on the individual service needs and not bound by the routing configuration … mobile environment where end users are constantly changing their location
Mobile Network Use Cases
flow-based paradigm, granular policy management, network virtualization, and traffic steering capabilities
Inter-cell interference management
mobile traffic management
- Traffic steering and path management
- anything pertinent to traffic flow redirection and management.
applicable to a number of areas and potential use cases that include load balancing, content filtering, policy control and enforcement, disaster avoidance and recovery (such as the use of backup paths);
- mobile traffic offloading and roaming, content adaptation
- SDN enables traffic to be dynamically positioned or repositioned in a mobile network based on various trigger criteria.
- criteria — user- or mobile operator- defined — may include the individual flow rate, aggregate (per application, cell, user equipment, etc.) flow rate or aggregate number of flows on a specific port/link, flow duration, number of mobile users per base station
voice calls should not be offloaded while data traffic could be ... in an advanced scenario: Network conditions in this context refer to network congestion, quality of service (QoS), or any other type of feedback or network planning mechanisms.
- Wi-Fi-roaming
- Offloading means moving traffic from a mobile network (cellular, small cells, femtocell) to a Wi-Fi network.
- seamless handover to maintain the user experience (UX)
the power of software that enables these intelligent choices, offering the potential for a wide range of new services.
Mobile traffic offloading leveraging OpenFlow-based SDN requires the mobile network controller (probably residing in the mobility management entity [MME]), to interwork with the access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF), the 3GPP framework that provides information on connectivity of the UE and couples mobile and Wi-Fi networks.
Key Benefits
- Centralized control of multi-vendor environments
SDN-based orchestration and management tools to quickly deploy, configure, and manage multi-vendor networks.
SDN enables more intelligent decision-making
- Higher rate of innovation
- More granular network control
Conclusion
SDN brings tremendous OpEx improvements through the scalability of network control functions … adjust network resource allocation … steer traffic dynamically in response to changing traffic patterns … transparently provision additional network resources to address new “killer apps.”
In short, SDN has the potential to redefine mobile network architectures, enabling the development of next-generation network controllers that enhance application performance and efficiency, ultimately improving the end user’s experience.