A Seamless Integration of Computationally-Enhanced Base Stations into Mobile Networks towards 5G

Following Mobile Cloud Computing, Mobile Edge Computing and Network Functions Virtualization tendencies, we envisage the utilization of computationally-enhanced base stations as computing nodes in which Virtual Machines can be deployed to perform computing tasks, leveraging the closeness of computing resources to end-users. This paper presents a seamless approach for the deployment of computationally-enhanced Small-Cells, also applicable to macro base stations, with no impact on the LTE-A architecture. To that end, the conventional mobile traffic and the traffic generated and consumed by the new computing resources are segregated and handled independently at the access point, with the latter being transmitted through the radio channel making use of the pre-established Data Radio Bearers. Assuming a general-purpose hardware configuration for the Small-Cells, we describe the functionality of the different physical and logical components along with the new protocol stacks and interfaces. Finally, we evaluate the additional delay and amount of signaling overhead introduced by the system to benchmark the proposed solution.