Flexible fog computing and telecom architecture for 5G networks

Abstract

We review a novel, secure, highly distributed and ultra-dense fog computing infrastructure, which can be allocated at the extreme edge of a wired/wireless network for a Telecom Operator to provide multiple unified, cost-effective and new 5G services, such as Network Function Virtualization (NFV), Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), and services for third parties (e.g., smart cities, vertical industries or Internet of Things (IoT)). The distributed and programmable fog technologies are expected to strengthen the position of the Mobile Network and cloud markets; key benefits are the dynamic deployment of new distributed low-latency services. The architecture consists of three main building blocks: a) a scalable node, that is seamlessly integrated in the Telecom infrastructure; b) a controller, focused on service assurance, that is integrated in the management and orchestration architecture of the Telecom operator; and c) services running on top of the Telecom infrastructure.