An Open Framework for Programmable, Self-Managed Radio Access Networks

SON technologies have been a promising approach for simplified and automated RAN management. Currently, SON functions can be D-SON among the network elements or C-SON as part of the OSS/NMS. D-SON technology is typically provided by equipment vendors, while C-SON is provided by both third parties and equipment vendors. D-SON has high reactivity but is usually provided as black boxes with poor or no interoperability between different vendors and management systems, hence rendering their integration a challenging task. On the other hand, OSS/NMS-level SONs, although provided with a global network view, are limited to coarse time operation. In this work we apply SDN principles to the management of RANs and propose a software-defined SON (SD-SON) framework that tackles the shortcomings and combines the benefits of both approaches above, namely, high reactivity along with flexibility, programmability, and openness. The architectural components, implementation aspects, and advantages of the proposed SD-SON framework are described in detail. A proof-of-concept prototype of a programmable self-managed LTE-Advanced heterogeneous network is also presented.