A SDN controller architecture for Small Cell Wireless Backhaul using a LTE Control Channel

Abstract

Future Access and Backhaul Networks need to significantly carry more data traffic, which calls for network densification. However, when many small cells are densely deployed, the backhaul network might become the bottleneck, as it is economically infeasible to wire every small cell or power them on constantly. Therefore, an effective configuration of a Small Cell Wireless Backhaul Network is important due to its multi-hop operation, possibly operating in mmWave bands. In this paper, we propose to use Software-Defined Networking for the Operation and Management of Small Cell Wireless Backhaul Networks. A SDN controller based in OpenDaylight is in charge of adaptively powering on/off Small Cells and reconfiguring the backhaul forwarding topology, according to traffic demands. The SDN controller uses an optimizer module which can be configured with different policies in order to minimize the energy cost or optimize capacity or latency. We extend OpenFlow in order to gather wireless and power consumption statistics, which are exchanged between Controller and Small Cell Backhaul nodes using a LTE Out-Of-Band Control Channel.