Design and Development of Revolved 5G Core Networks Based on Lower-Layer Software-Defined and Upper-Layer Virtualized Approaches

Abstract

5G EPC over Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) complemented with Software Defined Networking (SDN) framework is envisioned to be a novel paradigm of network architecture that supports a variety of access technologies and solves growth challenges and requirements such as seamless mobility management. Using cloud and virtualization, it manages and orchestrates the execution of mobile core servers on virtual machines. SDN can be used to segregate the network allowing multiple virtual mobile networks to co-exist on a physical datacenter network. This design is free of redundant functionality and inter-node interfaces that increase costs and reduce performance in hardware-based packet cores. With proposed vEPC (Virtualized Evolved Packet Core) framework we could construct a network of any-size with linear performance scaling on general-purpose servers for cost-effective business growth.