Review
Version 2
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Evolution of Access Network Sharing and its Role in 5G Networks
Version 1
: Received: 12 September 2019 / Approved: 16 September 2019 / Online: 16 September 2019 (11:20:01 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 8 October 2019 / Approved: 10 October 2019 / Online: 10 October 2019 (08:48:05 CEST)
Version 2 : Received: 8 October 2019 / Approved: 10 October 2019 / Online: 10 October 2019 (08:48:05 CEST)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Afraz, N.; Slyne, F.; Gill, H.; Ruffini, M. Evolution of Access Network Sharing and Its Role in 5G Networks. Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 4566. Afraz, N.; Slyne, F.; Gill, H.; Ruffini, M. Evolution of Access Network Sharing and Its Role in 5G Networks. Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 4566.
Abstract
This paper details the evolution of access network sharing models from legacy DSL to the most recent fibre-based technology and the main challenges faced from a technical and business perspectives. We first give an overview of existing access sharing models, that span physical local loop unbundling and virtual unbundled local access. We then describe different types of optical access technologies and highlight how they support network sharing. Next, we examine how the concept of SDN and network virtualization has been pivotal in enabling the idea of “true multi-tenancy”, through the use of programmability, flexible architecture and resource isolation. We give examples of recent developments of cloud central office and OLT virtualization. Finally, we provide an insight into the role that novel business models, such as blockchain and smart contract technology, could play in 5G networks. We discuss how these might evolve, to provide flexibility and dynamic operations that are needed in the data and control planes.
Keywords
access networks; network sharing; 5G networks; multi tenancy; optical access; sharing economics
Subject
Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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