System and method for providing dynamic radio access network orchestration
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving, by a radio access network (RAN) orchestration function, a characterization of impairments between a plurality of locations interconnected by a transport network, wherein the plurality of locations includes a location associated with at least one radio frequency (RF) termination point and a plurality of other locations associated with network elements of a radio access network (RAN);
determining, based at least in part on the characterization of impairments between the plurality of locations interconnected by the transport network, a decomposition of one or more operations associated with the RAN into a first set of virtualized network functions (VNFs) associated with first operations to be executed for one or more RAN controllers and a second set of VNFs associated with second operations to be executed for the at least one RF termination point, wherein the first operations are associated, at least in part, with Layer 2 (L2) RAN operations and the second operations are associated, at least in part, with Layer 1 (L1) RAN operations associated with the at least one RF termination point;
instantiating the first set of VNFs at one or more particular locations of the plurality of other locations associated with the network elements of the RAN interconnected by the transport network; and
instantiating the second set of VNFs at the location of the at least one RF termination point, wherein the first set of VNFs and the second set of VNFs are instantiated at different locations within the RAN.
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Abstract
A method is provided in one example embodiment and may include monitoring, by a radio access network (RAN) orchestration function, impairments between a plurality of candidate locations interconnected by a transport network, wherein one or more network elements capable of performing one or more operations associated with a RAN are located at the plurality of candidate locations; determining a decomposition of one or more operations associated with the RAN into a plurality of sets of virtualized network functions (VNFs) to execute the operations; determining a distribution of the plurality of sets of VNFs among the one or more network elements associated with the RAN for one or more optimal locations of the plurality of candidate locations based, at least in part, on the monitored impairments; and instantiating the plurality of sets of VNFs at each of the one or more optimal locations.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, by a radio access network (RAN) orchestration function, a characterization of impairments between a plurality of locations interconnected by a transport network, wherein the plurality of locations includes a location associated with at least one radio frequency (RF) termination point and a plurality of other locations associated with network elements of a radio access network (RAN); determining, based at least in part on the characterization of impairments between the plurality of locations interconnected by the transport network, a decomposition of one or more operations associated with the RAN into a first set of virtualized network functions (VNFs) associated with first operations to be executed for one or more RAN controllers and a second set of VNFs associated with second operations to be executed for the at least one RF termination point, wherein the first operations are associated, at least in part, with Layer 2 (L2) RAN operations and the second operations are associated, at least in part, with Layer 1 (L1) RAN operations associated with the at least one RF termination point; instantiating the first set of VNFs at one or more particular locations of the plurality of other locations associated with the network elements of the RAN interconnected by the transport network; and instantiating the second set of VNFs at the location of the at least one RF termination point, wherein the first set of VNFs and the second set of VNFs are instantiated at different locations within the RAN. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. One or more non-transitory tangible media encoding logic that includes instructions for execution by a processor, wherein the execution causes the processor to perform operations, comprising:
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receiving, by a radio access network (RAN) orchestration function, a characterization of impairments between a plurality of locations interconnected by a transport network, wherein the plurality of locations includes a location associated with at least one radio frequency (RF) termination point and a plurality of other locations associated with network elements of a radio access network (RAN); determining, based at least in part on the characterization of impairments between the plurality of locations interconnected by the transport network, a decomposition of one or more operations associated with the RAN into a first set of virtualized network functions (VNFs) associated with first operations to be executed for one or more RAN controllers and a second set of VNFs associated with second operations to be executed for the at least one RF termination point, wherein the first operations are associated, at least in part, with Layer 2 (L2) RAN operations and the second operations are associated, at least in part, with Layer 1 (L1) RAN operations associated with the at least one RF termination point; instantiating the first set of VNFs at one or more particular locations of the plurality of other locations associated with the network elements of the RAN interconnected by the transport network; and instantiating the second set of VNFs at the location of the at least one RF termination point, wherein the first set of VNFs and the second set of VNFs are instantiated at different locations within the RAN. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system comprising:
a Radio Access Network (RAN) orchestration system comprising; at least one memory element; at least one processor; and a RAN orchestration function adapted when executed by the at least one processor to; receive a characterization of impairments between a plurality of locations interconnected by a transport network, wherein the plurality of locations includes a location associated with at least one radio frequency (RF) termination point and a plurality of other locations associated with network elements of a radio access network (RAN); determine, based at least in part on the characterization of impairments between the plurality of locations interconnected by the transport network, a decomposition of one or more operations associated with the RAN into a first set of virtualized network functions (VNFs) associated with first operations to be executed for one or more RAN controllers and a second set of VNFs associated with second operations to be executed for the at least one RF termination point, wherein the first operations are associated, at least in part, with Layer 2 (L2) RAN operations and the second operations are associated, at least in part, with Layer 1 (L1) RAN operations associated with the at least one RF termination point; instantiate the first set of VNFs at one or more particular locations of the plurality of other locations associated with the network elements of the RAN interconnected by the transport network; and instantiate the second set of VNFs at the location of the at least one RF termination point, wherein the first set of VNFs and the second set of VNFs are instantiated at different locations within the RAN. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
Specification