Exploring Task Offloading in Mobile Edge Computing Environments: An In-Depth Review and Prospective Analysis
Mohammad Ashique E. Rasool, Anoop S. Kumar, Asharul Islam, Mohammad Nadeem Ahmed · 2024
With unprecedented growth of IoT and wireless communication, notably 5G, evolves, a surge in new service types and mobile data traffic unfolds exponentially. This shift propels the processing of mobile device’s task from conventional distant and high capacity cloud computing to close proximity Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), ensuring Quality of Service (QoS). MEC, characterized by the dispersion of network resources to the network's periphery, caters to the exigencies of delay-sensitive and computation-intensive services, ultimately enhancing user experience. Within MEC, computational offloading stands as a pivotal research domain. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of task offloading in MEC, beginning with an elucidation of the core conceptions and most promising MEC application scenarios. We then delineate the task offloading problem, analyzing industry research encompassing key technologies, strategies, scenarios, and objectives. Lastly, we offer insights into the existing challenges in current task offloading mechanisms and impending research avenues charting a course for subsequent investigative endeavors.