Self-X functions in cloud enabled small cell networks

Abstract

The combination of Small Cells as a Service (SCaaS) together with Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) technologies, as considered by the SESAME project, provides a promising framework for dealing with the challenging requirements of mobile broadband service provisioning in multi-tenant dense scenarios. Under this context, this paper focuses on the development of Self-X functions to support the autonomic management of multi-tenant cloud enabled small cells in these scenarios. After presenting the architecture for supporting these functions in the SESAME project, the paper presents three different examples of Self-X functions, dealing with cross-layer TCP optimization during handovers, on-demand virtualized resource allocation and mobility load balancing.