End-to-End Mobility Support Framework for SDN Enabled Multiple-Access Edge Computing (MEC)

Abstract

Multiple-access Edge Computing (MEC) plays a vital role in fifth-generation (5G) cellular networks. MEC ensures reliable and low-latency communication by bringing computational resources and data closer to mobile edge device end- users. It supports the deployment of multi-access edge (ME) applications as executable software running on a virtualization platform, meeting the growing demand for new mobile applications and services. However, end-to-end (e2e) mobility support in MEC remains a research challenge, as seamless service migration (i.e., ME applications) between edge devices must be executed to ensure uninterrupted service. This research proposes a framework that integrates Software- Defined Networking (SDN) and cloud-centric virtualization (e.g., containerizer) with the MEC framework to simplify the coordination and management of multiple mobile-edge-hosts (MEH). The proposed framework supports end-to-end mobility (e2e) to ensure service continuity without disruption when an ME application or mobile user relocates from a source MEH to a target MEH. The SDN-enabled controller proposed in this research coordinates and manages the underlying radio networks to enhance service continuity and quality of service (QoS) metrics, such as latency and bandwidth. The framework was verified and validated using simulation tools. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework effectively supports the end-to-end mobility of ME applications from the source MEH to the target MEH, achieving lower latency and allocating the required bandwidth.