Software Defined Networking in Next Generation Mobile Backhauls: A Survey

Decoupling the control and data planes has become synonymous with Software Defined Networking (SDN). This paradigm introduces a multitude of benefits to modern networks – such include reduction of management complexity and cost, modularity, optimized utilization, and isolated innovation. The strict requirements of next generation mobile networks can be summarized by a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Peak data rates and network latency KPIs for 5G have driven the need for researchers to turn their focus to the mobile backhaul. This paper identifies the challenges faced by next generation mobile networks and investigates state-of-the-art solutions implementing SDN at the backhaul level. In addition, it presents five distinct categories of SDN-enabled solutions and discusses their effectiveness in meeting such KPIs. Mobility management, joint Radio Access Network (RAN) intelligence, multi-tenancy, caching, and traffic monitoring are areas where SDN could prove to be a powerful technology enabler in backaul networks.