Software Defined Radio Access Network in 5G Mobile Network

Mobile traffic is growing exponentially and various kinds of traffic are emerging. Current radio access network is hard to support new communication mechanisms due to their inflexibility. To meet these radical demands, a lot of researchers are working on redesigning radio access network with the introduction of new technologies. An emerging technology, Software Defined Networking (SDN), has shown great success in wired IP networks. In this paper, a Software Defined Radio Access Network (SDRAN) is proposed that extends the benefits of SDN into radio access network. Three key technologies are introduced in SDRAN: User Flow & Resource Flow, packet processing based on OpenFlow switch, Global Network View (GNV). Benefits are described in this paper. Challenges for realizing the SDRAN are also analyzed. The SDRAN virtualizes radio access network, making network sustainable, flexible and programmable.