Page 1363 - 5G Basics - Core Network Aspects

Signalling aspects 3

It is additionally recommended to provide:

– Functionality of monitoring white-boxes for checking their availability, resource status (e.g., CPU,
memory, storage, etc.), capacity, etc.;
– Functional information such as service description, service type, vendor, software versions, etc.;

– Topology and connectivity information of middle-boxes such as internet protocol (IP) address,
network domain, port, interface, location, etc.

6.4 Software-defined mobile network

Software-defined mobile network (SDMN) is an approach to the design of wireless mobile networks where
the centralized SDN controller enables a mobility management of core network, a traffic path and resource
management of radio access networks (RANs) using southbound and northbound application programming
interfaces (APIs). It is the future wireless mobile network integration of various RANs connected through an
SDN controller. The SDMN presents an SDN architecture for a mobile network composed of a controller,
access and core commodity switches, and middleboxes supporting fine-grained policies. All protocol-specific
features are implemented in software, maximizing the use of generic and commodity hardware and software
in both the core network and RAN. OpenFlow-like protocol could be used to control various wireless networks
by supporting the requirements of long term evolution (LTE) and WiFi radio access technologies with specific
southbound and northbound APIs.
In SDMNs, the logically centralized controller facilitates the implementation of cooperative techniques for
mobility management in the core networks. The centralized controller will concentrate the network
intelligence for reducing operational cost and providing automation. Moreover, network functions such as
mobility, load balancing and firewalls will be deployed as software applications.

The logically centralized controller also enables radio resource allocation decisions to be made with global
visibility across many base stations, which is far more optimal than the distributed radio resource
management (RRM) and seamless handover in use today. By centralizing network intelligence, RRM decisions
can be adjusted based on the dynamic power and subcarrier allocation profile of each base station to support
seamless handover.
The network controller and the southbound and northbound protocols to be used in SDMN should be
carefully designed and extended, and new network applications should be identified and implemented.

7 Signalling model
The signalling model presented in Figure 7-1 is aligned with the high-level architecture of SDN specified in
[ITU-T Y.3300].

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