Optimal Caching in Multicast 5G Networks with Opportunistic Spectrum Access

Cache-enabled small base station (SBS) densification is foreseen as a key component of 5G cellular networks. This architecture enables storing popular files at the network edge (i.e., SBS caches), which empowers local communication and alleviates traffic congestions at the core/backhaul network. This paper develops a mathematical framework, based on stochastic geometry, to characterize the hit probability of a cache-enabled multicast 5G network with SBS multi-channel capabilities and opportunistic spectrum access. To this end, we first derive the hit probability by characterizing opportunistic spectrum access success probabilities, service distance distributions, and coverage probabilities. The optimal caching distribution to maximize the hit probability is then computed. The performance and trade-offs of the derived optimal caching distributions are then assessed and compared with two widely employed caching distribution schemes, namely uniform and Zipf caching, through numerical results and extensive simulations. It is shown that the Zipf caching almost optimal only in scenarios with large number of available channels and large cache sizes.