Fronthaul for Cloud‐RAN Enabling Network Slicing in 5G Mobile Networks
Line M. P. Larsen, Michael Berger, Henrik Lehrmann Christiansen · Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing · 2018
This work considers how network slicing can use the network architecture Cloud‐Radio Access Network (C‐RAN) as an enabler for the required prerequisite network virtualization. Specifically this work looks at a segment of the C‐RAN architecture called the fronthaul network. The fronthaul network required for network slicing needs to be able to dynamically assign capacity where it is needed. Deploying a fronthaul network faces a trade‐off between fronthaul bitrate, flexibility, and complexity of the local equipment close to the user. This work relates the challenges currently faced in C‐RAN research to the network requirements in network slicing. It also shows how using a packet‐switched fronthaul for network slicing will bring great advantages and enable the use of different functional splits, while the price to pay is a minor decrease in fronthaul length due to latency constraints.