Service Availability for MEC Location in Radio Access Network

Several 5G/6G applications are anticipated to require low latency and high service availability. Latency constraints are expected to be satisfied by utilizing edge computing servers termed multi-access edge computing (MEC) servers. MEC can provide many benefits, including improved network performance, increased reliability, and reduced costs. However, the location of MEC servers can have a significant impact on the reliability of the services they support. In this paper, we study the impact of combination of server location and the physical topology on service availability of connections between the user equipment (UE) and MEC. We concentrate on applications that utilize multi-connectivity between the UE and MEC. We focus on evaluating the availability of services supported by MEC servers located at different positions within the radio access network, such as at macro base stations, at the access sites, or at a central location as well as the effects of the backhaul topology deployed, e.g., ring or tree.