Ethernet-based mobility architecture for 5G

A massive traffic increase is foreseen in the near future in mobile networks. Such data storm is expected to pose new challenging requirements to the existing mobile network architecture, since the traffic will be generated by a wide set of applications running on an increasingly high number of mobile devices and sensors. In this paper we propose a paradigm shift for the Evolved Packet Core for the future 5G system. By leveraging on the economy of scale of software-based ICT technologies, namely Software Defined Networking and cloud computing, we propose a hierarchically cloudified mobile network. In particular, in this paper we focus on the mobility aspects within such new architecture, proposing low latency Layer 2 solutions for the Access Network, while exploiting aggregating Layer 3 mobility functionalities in the regional and national clouds.