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Open-source based testbed for multioperator 4G/5G infrastructure sharing in virtual environments
Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing
  • Ricardo Marco Alaez, University of the West of Scotland
  • Jose M. Alcaraz Calero, University of the West of Scotland
  • Qi Wang, University of the West of Scotland
  • Fatna Belqasmi, Zayed University
  • May El Barachi, University of Wollongong in Dubai
  • Mohamad Badra, Zayed University
  • Omar Alfandi, Zayed University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2017
Abstract

© 2017 Ricardo Marco Alaez et al. Fourth-Generation (4G) mobile networks are based on Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technologies and are being deployed worldwide, while research on further evolution towards the Fifth Generation (5G) has been recently initiated. 5G will be featured with advanced network infrastructure sharing capabilities among different operators. Therefore, an open-source implementation of 4G/5G networks with this capability is crucial to enable early research in this area. The main contribution of this paper is the design and implementation of such a 4G/5G open-source testbed to investigate multioperator infrastructure sharing capabilities executed in virtual architectures. The proposed design and implementation enable the virtualization and sharing of some of the components of the LTE architecture. A testbed has been implemented and validated with intensive empirical experiments conducted to validate the suitability of virtualizing LTE components in virtual infrastructures (i.e., infrastructures with multitenancy sharing capabilities). The impact of the proposed technologies can lead to significant saving of both capital and operational costs for mobile telecommunication operators.

Publisher
Hindawi Limited
Keywords
  • 5G mobile communication systems,
  • Long Term Evolution (LTE),
  • Mobile telecommunication systems,
  • Network architecture,
  • Testbeds,
  • Virtual reality,
  • Design and implementations,
  • Empirical experiments,
  • Fifth generation (5g),
  • Fourth-generation (4G) mobile networks,
  • Infrastructure sharing,
  • Mobile telecommunications,
  • Open source implementation,
  • Virtual infrastructures,
  • Wireless telecommunication systems
Scopus ID

85042588969

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series
Citation Information
Ricardo Marco Alaez, Jose M. Alcaraz Calero, Qi Wang, Fatna Belqasmi, et al.. "Open-source based testbed for multioperator 4G/5G infrastructure sharing in virtual environments" Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing Vol. 2017 (2017) p. 1984314 - 11 ISSN: <p><a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/1530-8669" target="_blank">1530-8669</a></p>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/omar-alfandi/47/