A new control plane for 5G network architecture with a case study on unified handoff, mobility, and routing management

The tremendous growth in wireless Internet use is showing no signs of slowing down. Existing cellular networks are starting to be insufficient in meeting this demand, in part due to their inflexible and expensive equipment as well as complex and non-agile control plane. Software-defined networking is emerging as a natural solution for next generation cellular networks as it enables further network function virtualization opportunities and network programmability. In this article, we advocate an all-SDN network architecture with hierarchical network control capabilities to allow for different grades of performance and complexity in offering core network services and provide service differentiation for 5G systems. As a showcase of this architecture, we introduce a unified approach to mobility, handoff, and routing management and offer connectivity management as a service (CMaaS). CMaaS is offered to application developers and over-the-top service providers to provide a range of options in protecting their flows against subscriber mobility at different price levels.