Software Defined Mobile Networks (SDMN)

Foreword

Mobile networking is entering an exciting era of development, driven both by user needs and new technologies. Key new technologies are network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). They are often considered together or even confused with each other. Simplified, NFV separates the network functions from the underlying hardware and software platforms, whereas SDN separates network control from the user data routing. They bring benefits in capacity scaling, cost reduction, and flexibility and speed in the introduction of new services. NFV concepts are already rather broadly agreed, for example, via the ETSI specification work and NFV-based products are entering into commercial service. Similar broad agreement on how to utilize SDN in mobile networks is missing, so this book is a timely contribution to that discussion. To get the full benefit of NFV and SDN in mobile networks, we need to take a new look at the network architecture as it now stands.

This book takes that look, both broad and deep. It introduces current state of the art and probes potential ways to evolve mobile networks to take better advantage of SDN and NFV. It discusses system wide and product architectures and key issues like network management, quality of service, and security. The technologies exposed in this book are central to the evolution of mobile networking and future definition of the 5G architecture. While there are no final answers, yet the book provides a good ...