Enabling network programmability in LTE/EPC architecture using OpenFlow

Nowadays, mobile operators face the challenge to sustain the future data tsunami. In fact, today's increasing data and control traffic generated by new kinds of network usage puts strain on mobile operators', without creating any corresponding equivalent revenue. In our previous work, we analyzed the 3GPP LTE/EPC architecture and showed that a redesign of this architecture is needed to suit future network usages and to provide new revenue generating services. Moreover, we proposed a new control plane based on the OpenFlow (OF) protocol for the LTE/EPC architecture that enables flexibility and programmability aspects. In this paper, we are interested in the programmability aspect. We show how the data plane can be easily configured thanks to OF. In addition, we evaluate the signaling load of our proposed architecture and compare it to that of 3GPP LTE/EPC architecture. The preliminary findings suggest that managing the data plane with OF has little impact on the signaling load while the network programmability is improved.

[1]  Indra Widjaja,et al.  Comparison of MME Signaling Loads for Long-Term-Evolution Architectures , 2009, 2009 IEEE 70th Vehicular Technology Conference Fall.

[2]  Tai-Myung Chung,et al.  Cost analysis of IP mobility management protocols for consumer mobile devices , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics.

[3]  Samir Ranjan Das,et al.  Understanding traffic dynamics in cellular data networks , 2011, 2011 Proceedings IEEE INFOCOM.

[4]  Nick McKeown,et al.  OpenFlow: enabling innovation in campus networks , 2008, CCRV.

[5]  Ahmed Bouabdallah,et al.  Improving LTE/EPC signaling for sporadic data with a control-plane based transmission procedure , 2011, 2011 The 14th International Symposium on Wireless Personal Multimedia Communications (WPMC).

[6]  K. Guillouard,et al.  On the need for adaptive connectivity management in multi-access architectures , 2012, 2012 Third International Conference on The Network of the Future (NOF).

[7]  Wolfgang Hahn.  3GPP Evolved Packet Core support for distributed mobility anchors: Control enhancements for GW relocation , 2011, 2011 11th International Conference on ITS Telecommunications.

[8]  Alex Reznik,et al.  Towards flat and distributed mobility management: A 3GPP evolved network design , 2012, 2012 IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC).

[9]  Gwendal Simon,et al.  New control plane in 3GPP LTE/EPC architecture for on-demand connectivity service , 2013, 2013 IEEE 2nd International Conference on Cloud Networking (CloudNet).