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MME Support for M2M Communications Using Network Function Virtualization

Authors:
Pilar Andres-Maldonado
Pablo Ameigeiras
Jonathan Prados-Garzon
Juan Jose Ramos-Munoz
Juan Manuel Lopez-Soler

Keywords: NFV; 5G; LTE; Machine-to-Machine

Abstract:
The use of massive Machine to Machine (M2M) communications on future mobile networks may lead to a signaling traffic explosion. Small Data Transmission (SDT) procedure appears as an efficient option for M2M small data transfer in Long Term Evolution (LTE). However, this procedure entails more processing load in the Mobility Management Entity (MME). Moreover, the fixed capacity in current LTE core hardware-based infrastructure can limit the scalability of this solution. To overcome this, we propose to: i) virtualize hardware dedicated MME (vMME) using Network Function Virtualization (NFV), ii) prioritize the vMME processing of Human to Human (H2H) signaling messages by means of priority queues, and iii) use the Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) field to identify priorities. The results show that, by increasing the number of NFV instances, the vMME capacity can be raised to manage the massive M2M SDT requests. Additionally, they show that the delay increase of H2H control plane procedures, caused by M2M communications, can be mitigated. Therefore, we conclude that our solution eases the deployment of massive M2M communications in future mobile networks.

Pages: 106 to 111

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2016

Publication date: May 22, 2016

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4030

ISBN: 978-1-61208-473-2

Location: Valencia, Spain

Dates: from May 22, 2016 to May 26, 2016