Spectrum aggregation and management framework for pre-5G applications

摘要

This article presents discussion behind emerging need for the Unified Traffic Steering (UTS) approach in the evolving mobile networks to efficiently handle multitude of 3GPP radio access schemes and technologies. Considering the approaching 5G networks which will introduce yet another Radio Access Technology (RAT) to the equation, we need to think of tight radio level integration of all available RATs with the available spectrum resources and spectrum access schemes. That is a must to allow efficient radio resources utilization in mobile networks to cope with the booming mobile data demand in evolving mobile broadband use cases. For that purpose, analysis of traffic steering functionalities was performed based on the 3GPP standards, which lead to the formulation of UTS framework. UTS framework is considered as the enabler for unified 5G architecture, where UTS-logic plays as central entity, serving as engine to coordinate traffic steering mechanisms with respect to scenarios, feature groups, operator strategies and load conditions taking into account mobile demand and SON decisions.