Green Wireless Access Virtualization Implementation: Cost vs. QoS Trade-offs

Wireless access virtualization is considered to be a major enabling concept of future 5G networks. It fosters network innovation, rapid time to market for emerging networking concepts and enables cohabitation of different virtual networks with customized network protocols on the same physical infrastructure. It can also alleviate the ossification problem of radio spectrum that has been a major concern for telecommunication operators. Virtualization is also a key enabler for green communications as it not only reduces energy consumption by ensuring efficient use of hardware resources through resource sharing but also facilitates use of renewable energy sources for the communications infrastructure. This paper presents two different types of frameworks to classify wireless network virtualization design alternatives. The benefits of virtual wireless networks are very often expected from a cost perspective. Yet provisioning of stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements calls for a thorough analysis especially from PHY & MAC layers perspectives. A method for selecting the most efficient network architecture has been proposed that takes into account both network operators' (and/or service providers') cost and QoS constraints. The analytical model considers both the capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) for cost analysis, while the achievable data rate in different virtual frameworks has been considered for QoS modelling.