Offloading in 5G Cellular Networks: Unexplored Strategies

With the escalating demands for data-intensive content, and the convergence of mobile and connected devices, there is a growing requirement of high bandwidth speeds in multimedia applications. 5G will be a game-changer in the business operations and in providing a engaging customer experience. The 5G vision promises to deliver high-speed downloads with low latency. Managing the exponential growth in data traffic is one of the mobile operator's most challenging issues in 5G networks. Mobile data offloading is a potential and low-cost method for alleviating cellular network congestion. To make this conceivable, we need a new paradigm for hybrid networks that capitalizes on the presence of several alternative communication ways. This entails significant modifications in how data is handled, thereby influencing the behavior of network protocols. This paper presents various techniques for data offloading in cellular 5G networks, discussing the requirements, advantages, and limitations. The research work in this paper provides a detailed presentation of the gaps identified in 5G networks data offloading techniques, the requirements and challenges, and a way forward to solve the challenges, including the most recent technological advancements such as deep learning, edge computing, WiFi-6, social networks and software-defined networks (considering the heterogeneity aspect of the network).