SUMMARYFuture mobile networks are expected to be complex heterogeneous systems. On the one hand this will enable users to take advantage of a number of different access technologies. On the other hand it will seriously affect network management procedures since more extensive operations and decisions will have to be dealt with. To tackle these challenges a number of new dynamic mechanisms need to be designed. It is imperative that certain network management tasks have to be performed without human intervention to reduce the OPEX costs and achieve faster responses in different events. To achieve this goal, the introduction of self-x functionalities, combined with cognitive mechanisms and the ability to reconfigure network entities and terminals, is required. Moreover, the introduction of a new pilot channel needs to be considered to assist the terminals in selecting the most suitable radio access technology according to their requirements. We present the functional architecture of an evolved network that was designed in the context of the EU-funded IP project 'E 3 : End-to-End Efficiency'. This architecture aims to enhance existing procedures usually performed in traditional operation and maintenance systems (e.g. spectrum management, network planning, configuration actions). We explain the rationale of our design and provide specific examples to illustrate the role of the different functional entities and their interfaces. A considerable part of this architecture has recently been approved as a feasibility study by the ETSI Committee Reconfigurable Radio System.
SUMMARYThe emerging and future radio landscape will consist of heterogeneous wireless networks, operating in the framework of diverse cooperative associations of network operators, for accommodation of the demands of users with multimode and/or multihoming enabled terminals. In this context, the optimized spectrum and radio resource utilization will be key factors for the accomplishment of the goals of both users and operators, namely the satisfaction of users' needs and the augmentation of operators' profi ts. The IEEE P1900.4 standardization group is working towards specifying architectures and functions that will enable network-terminal distributed decision making for optimized radio resource usage in such heterogeneous wireless access networks. In alignment with the recently standardized P1900.4 management architecture, in this paper we (a) propose a functional architecture for the management and optimization of spectrum and radio resource utilization in heterogeneous wireless environments, (b) give a thorough description of the information that needs to be conveyed on the external interfaces of the proposed architecture, and (c) set up an experimentation platform and conduct indicative scenarios for both the demonstration and performance assessment of the proposed architecture. The assessment results show satisfactory behavior in terms of induced management signaling loads and time delays, that is equivalent to minimal intervention into the real network operation.
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