Mobility Management in SDN and NFV-based Next-Generation Wireless Networks: An Overview and Qualitative Evaluation

The majority of contemporary 5G networks employ HetNets which improve data rate and the number of serving users over previous cell architecture. HetNets are comprised of different small-cell types such as femtocells and microcells. The tradeoff of these smaller cells is that they do not meet QoS requirements for flexibility and low latency because the increased frequency of handoffs increases network delay. This paper compares the state- of-the-art mobility management approaches that use SDN and (or) NFV concepts in 5G cellular networks. These approaches are evaluated in terms of scalability, signaling cost, probability of handoff failures, and system load balance.