Cost-Efficient Resource Sharing in Ethernet-based 5G Mobile Fronthaul Networks

In 5G, Mobile Fronthaul (MF) is referred to as the connection between Remote Radio Head (RRH) and BaseBand processing Unit (BBU) pool. To save cost while satisfying its rising bandwidth demand, we propose a NIF Resource-Sharing (MFRS) scheme that allows to share (1) the capacity of the Ethernet network among MF traffic and background traffic and (2) the Baseband Processing Functions (BPFs) among various RRHs. To estimate the resource savings achievable with MFRS, we formulate a routing and BPF placement problem. The goal is to minimize cost in terms of required BPFs under the constraints of latency and network capacity. Simulation results show significant improvement in terms of number of supported RRHs and required BPFs compared to two baseline schemes.