In the new fascinating era of 5G, new communication requirements set diverse challenges upon existing networks, both in terms of technologies and business models. One among the essential categories of the innovative 5G mobile network services is the enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), mainly aiming to fulfill users’ demand for an increasingly digital lifestyle and focusing upon facilities that implicate high requirements for bandwidth. In this paper we have discussed eMBB as the first commercial use of the 5G technology. Then, we have focused upon the original context of the 5G-DRIVE research project between the EU and China, and we have identified essential features of the respective eMBB trials, constituting one of the corresponding core activities. In addition, we have discussed proposed scenarios and KPIs for assessing the scheduled experimental work, based on similar findings from other research and/or standardization activities.
An essential part of the actual EU policy towards promoting and validating 5G applications and of related solutions is via the establishment of an explicit plan and of a detailed roadmap for trials, tests and experimental activities though dedicated testbeds, in parallel with the current research and development activities coming from the 5G-PPP framework. The present paper discusses the fundamental role of the proposed trials’ initiatives within the broader European framework for the establishment and the promotion of 5G and also analyses the corresponding streams as indispensable parts of the 5G-PPP context, aiming to support innovation and growth. In addition, as part of the broader initiative for trial actions we identify the case of the 5G-DRIVE project that aims to realise 5G deployment scenarios (i.e., enhanced Mobile Broadband and Vehicle-to-Everything communications), between the EU and China, by discussing the fundamental features of the respective trials sites.
The core challenges in the actual SESAME EU-funded project is to develop an ecosystem to sustain network infrastructure openness, built on the pillars of network functions virtualization (NFV), mobile-edge computing (MEC) capabilities and cognitive network management that will provide multi-tenancy and flexible cloud-network interaction with highly-predictable and flexible end-to-end performance characteristics. Based on this aspect, we discuss the potential benefits of including NFV and MEC in a modern mobile communications infrastructure, through Small Cells coordination and virtualization, also focused upon realistic 5G-oriented considerations. Within the proposed SESAME architecture, we also assess the various advantages coming from a more enhanced network operation and management of resources, as it appears with the incorporation of cognitive capabilities embracing knowledge and intelligence.
Based on the context of the original SESAME project research effort, in the present work we examined the implications of multi-tenancy upon the Radio Resources Management (RRM) and Self-x functions that support mobility control, as the latter is a fundamental functionality to ensure a seamless experience to the user equipments of the different operators when moving across the cells of a shared RAN (Radio Access Network) and when entering and leaving the shared infrastructure.
Based on the actual framework of the SESAME 5G-PPP EU-funded project, we identify the importance of the related wireless backhauling within the broader 5G innovative framework, with the pure aim of using small cells together with suitable network virtualization techniques for serving multiple tenants in a modern architectural approach. The virtualization of the network nodes and the wireless links allow for the development of a suitable SDN controller intending to perform network slicing, where the wireless backhaul resources are shared and assigned on a per-tenant basis. In order to apply SON features as they are also applied at the access radio level, the SDN controller is responsible for collecting and evaluating status information of the network (link qualities, status of wireless interfaces, ongoing traffic), thus resulting to self-planning, self-optimization and self-healing attributes.
