The Small Cell Forum will address virtualisation as part of its on-going Release Program.
The goal is to leverage Network Function Virtualisation (NFV) to understand the optimal approach to apply to the small cell layer. The Small Cell Forum said virtualization could have a number of use cases for small cell networks, including:
- Scalability
- Improved resource utilization/sharing
- Multi-tenancy (multicarrier, carrier/enterprise)
- Enhanced resource coordination (between small cell and macro and between small cells)
- Multi-point capability
- Co-located core network virtualized functions
“Operators need to understand how small cells fit into the Cloud-RAN story,” said Sue Monahan, CEO of the Small Cell Forum. “We believe there will be better ROI if operators can plan virtualisation across the entire HetNet, including small cells, rather than as a separate exercise. This work stream will consider the impact of such an approach on everything from network architecture to the business case. We are now inviting Forum members and the wider industry to get behind this initiative and help shape the future of mobile networks through our Release work.”
“Cloud-RAN and small cells have often been presented as alternatives,” said Gordon Mansfield, Chair of Small Cell Forum. “We believe that virtualisation techniques can be re-applied to small cell architectures. This work will help ensure that in dense HetNets, small cells are fully interworking with other platforms to create the broadest pool of capacity and most efficient use of shared resources.”
Slideshare:
http://www.slideshare.net/SmallCellForum1/mark-grayson-virtualization
http://www.smallcellforum.org/newsstory-small-cell-forum-kicks-off-network-virtualization-work-stream
