Functions and Abstractions for Radio Access Network Softwarization

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School of Electrical Engineering | Doctoral thesis (article-based) | Defence date: 2017-11-13
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Authors

Date

2017

Department

Tietoliikenne- ja tietoverkkotekniikan laitos
Department of Communications and Networking

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Mcode

Degree programme

Language

en

Pages

67 + app. 83

Series

Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS, 201/2017

Abstract

It is expected that future mobile Radio Access Networks (RANs) should offer enough degrees of freedom to be adapted quickly and, at low cost, to operate in ways that may be not conceived today. The possibility to program the network, to offer new and tailored services, will encourage a myriad of technical and business innovations. With this goal, several paradigms and network architectures that comprise RAN softwarization are being proposed. The research presented in this thesis contributes to softwarization for heterogeneous RANs. Joint development of functions and abstractions is addressed. A simplified framework for RAN softwarization is presented, consistent with the paradigms of Software Defined Networks (SDN), and other architectures proposed in the literature. The framework consists of a Central Coordinator and Controller (CCC) for logical centralized network management, plug-in Network Functions (NFs), or applications, and a RAN with Real Time Controllers (RTCs). We discuss the development, implementation and performance of two kinds of NFs. First, NFs for Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (ICIC), optimizing inter-tier resource allocation at cell and network-level, with muting in one or two tiers. Second, a NF for dynamic spectrum management in Frequency-Division Duplexing (FDD) Flexible Duplexing cells. In addition, local functions and abstractions for the RTCs are discussed. As examples, we present two methods for optimizing switching points in the context of Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC). As a basis for this, we discuss functions to abstract link-level details. Results from simulations with ICIC-NFs in different Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets), show that the proposed functions and abstractions are suitable to improve the performance of the network. For FDD flexible duplexing cells, the approach presented as a NF helps to determine the trade-off between downlink transmit power of a flexible duplexing cell, and distance between this cell and a victim, belonging to another operator. The functions and abstractions discussed for the RTCs, complete the framework. From the results observed, we can conclude that the adoption of a framework as the proposed, based on RAN softwarization, with suitable functions and abstractions, provides a promising solution to make the RAN flexible enough to incorporate new and tailored services.

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Supervising professor

Tirkkonen, Olav, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Communications and Networking, Finland

Thesis advisor

Tirkkonen, Olav, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Communications and Networking, Finland

Keywords

radio access network, softwarization, software defined networks

Other note

Parts

  • [Publication 1]: S. Lembo, J. Deng, R. Freij-Hollanti, O. Tirkkonen, and T. Chen. Hierarchical Network Abstraction for HetNet Coordination. In IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC), Montreal, QC, Canada, Oct. 2017
  • [Publication 2]: S. Lembo, P. Lundén, O. Tirkkonen, and K. Valkealahti. Optimal Muting Ratio for Enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) in HetNets. In 2013 IEEE International Conference on Communications Workshops (ICCW), Budapest, Hungary, 1145-1149, Jun. 2013.
    DOI: 10.1109/ICCW.2013.6649409 View at publisher
  • [Publication 3]: S. Lembo, A. A. Dowhuszko, and O. Tirkkonen. Joint Resource Allocation in Mobile Networks with Macro Cellular and Device-to-Device Communication. In 2015 IEEE International Conference on Communication Workshop (ICCW), London, UK, 585-590, Jun. 2015.
    DOI: 10.1109/ICCW.2015.7247244 View at publisher
  • [Publication 4]: S. Lembo, A. A. Dowhuszko, and O. Tirkkonen. Network Functions for Inter Cell Interference Coordination in Heterogeneous Networks. Submitted to IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, Feb. 2017
  • [Publication 5]: S. Lembo, O. Tirkkonen, M. Goldhamer, and A. Kliks. Coexistence of FDD Flexible Duplexing Networks. In European Conference on Networks and Communications (EUCNC), Oulu, Finland, p.6, Jun. 2017.
    DOI: 10.1109/EuCNC.2017.7980723 View at publisher
  • [Publication 6]: S. Lembo, and O. Tirkkonen. Interference Distributions for FDD Flexible Duplexing Networks. Submitted to IEEE Wireless Communications Letters, Sept. 2017
  • [Publication 7]: S. Lembo, K. Ruttik, and O. Tirkkonen. Modeling of Convolutional Code Performance. In Conference on Wireless Personal Mobile Communications (WPMC), Lapland, Finland. p. 5, Sept. 2008
  • [Publication 8]: Yu, C-H., Lembo, S., Ruttik, K., and Tirkkonen, O. Optimum Rate Quantization for Adaptive Modulation and Coding. In Conference on Wireless Personal Mobile Communications (WPMC), Lapland, Finland. p. 5, Sept. 2008
  • [Publication 9]: S. Lembo, C. H. Yu, and O. Tirkkonen. Block Fading Channels with Limited Channel State Information. In 2010 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory and its Applications (ISITA), Taichung, Taiwan, 807-811, Oct. 2010.
    DOI: 10.1109/ISITA.2010.5649612 View at publisher

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https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-60-7668-3

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[diss] Sähkötekniikan korkeakoulu / ELEC