The Mobile Cloud Networking (MCN) project [2], is an EU FP7 projects that integrates the use of cloud computing concepts in LTE mobile networks.
This is accomplished with the objective of increasing LTE’s performance by building a shared distributed LTE mobile network that can: (1) optimize the utilization of computation, storage and networking resources, (2) minimize communication delays, (3) avoid bottlenecks, and (4) enable multiple network operators to create their own virtual network depending on their requirements and goals, while using a common physical infrastructure.
The integration of cloud computing concepts in an LTE system can be mainly realized by : (1) extending the cloud computing concept beyond the typical (macro) data
centers towards new smaller (micro) data centers that are distributed within the Radio Access Network (e.g., e-UTRAN) and the Mobile Core Network (e.g., EPC), and (2) deploying and running cloud-based (virtualized) Radio Access Networks,
denoted as RAN as a Service (RANaaS), and Mobile Core Networks, defined as EPC as a Service (EPCaaS) [2].
The most important cloud computing principles integrated in this virtualized LTE system are the support of on-demand provisioning of LTE components and on-demand elasticity, allowing the virtualized LTE components to scale
automatically, based on the data traffic load that they need to support.
This trend is also in line with the emerging ETSI activities in Network Functions Virtualization (NFV).
Service continuity is a critical issue in mobile networks implying
access to the requested services without disruption, while the user moves from one network to another. In virtualized mobile cellular network systems, see Fig. 1, services are hosted on VMs (Virtual Machines) that may migrate across multiple
physical networks (i.e. datacentres) with the aim of better service delivery.
A service could be a content delivery or content generation and manipulation service. The migration of VMs and the services running on such VMs should occur in
such a way that the disruption of an on-going service is minimized.
A service continuity solution should be able to support the migration of services, implying the support for, see [3]: