Mobile edge computing looks set to be part of 5G and IoT, with the recent MEC Congress showing considerable progress in the technology
I recently attended the Mobile Edge Computing Congress in Munich, Germany. (I actually chaired the first day of the event.) For those who pay attention to such things, yes, this year’s MEC event was at the same time as Oktoberfest. And yes, we had a beer or two.
The MEC Congress was a big success and it seemed that all the key players driving MEC forward were present. In addition to numerous presentations and panels, there were also a range of companies exhibiting their solutions. And six of the eight MEC proof of concepts were demonstrated:
• PoC No. 3: “Radio aware video optimization in a fully virtualized network” – Eurecom, Intel, Politecnico di Torino and TIM
• PoC No. 4: “FLIPS – Flexible IP-based services” – City of Bristol, CTVC, University of Essex, Interdigital and Intracom Telecom
• PoC No. 5: “Enterprise services” – ADVA Optical Networking, Bezea International and Saguna
• PoC No. 6: “Health care – dynamic hospital user, IoT and alert status management” – Argela, Quortus and Turk Telecom
• PoC No. 7: “Multiservice MEC platform for advanced service delivery” – Advantech, Brocade, Cloudify, Saguna, Vasona Networks and Vodafone
• PoC No. 8: “Video analytics” – Nokia, SeeTec and Vodafone.
In addition, iGR also attended an analyst afternoon at Nokia’s Munich offices, where Nokia demonstrated a number of video and entertainment MEC solutions. The fact that these solutions were running on commercial hardware shows MEC solutions can be deployed today. As we shall discuss, while “5G” needs MEC (or something like it that pushes content and processing to the edge), MEC does not have to wait until 5G is ready: many MEC solutions can be deployed today. Simply, MEC is as applicable in LTE environments as it will be in 5G.
From iGR’s perspective, there were several key takeaways from the conference:
MEC is ready now and does not need to wait for 5G
IGR believes this is perhaps the biggest misunderstanding with MEC today. Rather than being labeled a “5G solution” or “5G architecture,” MEC can be deployed today. In fact, Nokia was part of a team that demonstrated video applications at the Shanghai Formula 1 race in April 2016; this used 80 to 100 cells in the stadium area to deliver video of the race and other information. And it was done using current technologies and did not require 5G radios or spectrum. Other solutions are running today that use MEC architectures; a good example is Vasona Networks’ SmartAir solution.
MEC needs application developers
One thing apparent in Munich was that, while the key players were all present, more developers are needed. Rather than simply talk about the benefits of the architecture, the industry needs folks who can build innovative solutions on the MEC architecture. And ideally this includes application and services developers who are not from the cellular industry, but can think outside of the proverbial box and get really creative. This is analogous to web developers: they did not have to understand how the servers and routers that support the internet worked; they just had to develop new apps and services. The same is true with MEC: creative thinking is needed to expand beyond the current proof of concepts.
The MEC name is likely to change
It is becoming clear that with the work being done by the MEC group at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, MEC does not just mean “mobile edge computing.” Instead, the MEC architecture is being applied to low power networks, Wi-Fi and fixed wireless. MEC is really network agnostic and will support a range of wireless protocols. The name “mobile” implies Third Generation Partnership Project and cellular, but this is no longer the case. The trick is to change the name without changing the acronym (the wireless industry likes to take this approach: remember when GSM was “groupe speciale mobile” and then became “global standard for mobile”?). One suggestion is the MEC name could be “multi-access edge computing.” Get creative with the “m” and perhaps it could be “massive edge computing”? Send suggestions on a postcard to ETSI.
Another factor that needs to be considered is the influence of the other edge compute initiatives, like the OpenFog Consortium. The Open Compute Project also has a role to play here. One debate is where between the cloud and the edge do you put the processing and content, and what standards are used. With the potential name change, and the continuation of the ETSI MEC standards initiative (see below), we could see something that merges MEC and OpenFog, for example. OpenMist? Open-Cloudy-Day-with-Chance-of-Rain?
5G is not possible without MEC/something like it
5G sets some lofty goals for bandwidth and low latency. To achieve this, it appears new architectures are needed and the processing needs to get closer to the edge of the network, which leads directly to MEC. Not all 5G apps and services will need MEC (or something similar), but many of the high performance solutions will. For this reason, iGR believes MEC/something like it will become part of the standard 5G architecture requirements, along with network functions virtualization and massive multiple-input/multiple-output for small cells.
MEC has implications for data centers, backhaul and the whole mobile architecture
MEC puts more processing at the edge of the network, closer to the radios and baseband units. MEC solutions include processing power, storage and, of course, connections back to the rest of the network. So if video is cached on an MEC appliance at the edge, that will necessarily need gigabytes of storage on the appliance. Depending on the MEC solution (it could be a self-contained appliance or a rack mounted data center solution), the hardware needs to securely housed somewhere. This could be at the base of a cell tower or in a local data center. The end result is this hardware and the MEC solution will need to be deployed, secured, managed and maintained.
MEC is an ongoing work-in-progress
The original mandate to the MEC committee by ETSI has been extended. The first term is due to expire at the end of 2016 and will:
• Define API principles.
• Study items related to MEC integration in NFV and end-to-end mobility.
• Define work items to increase MEC market acceleration.
The next term is due to run for two additional years with the following objectives:
• Support 3GPP and non-3GPP access (Wi-Fi and fixed).
• Extend virtualization support types.
• Support new charging models.
• Fill gaps necessary for lawful interception.
• Develop test specifications and methodologies.
• Expedite development of innovative applications.
• Study new use cases.
• Enable MEC deployments in NFV environments.
Where is the edge of the network?
This is an interesting discussion, especially where MEC is concerned. Again, this brings in a discussion of OpenFog. In reality, the true edge of the mobile network is the end user device, while many people stop their definition at the cell site radio and antenna. But MEC really works at the application layer and if the application is deployed on the device, MEC can “influence” the device. This is important for the mobile operator, especially as Google and Apple are controlling more and more of the device environment. MEC potentially provides a way for the operator to gain back some influence on the end user device.
Not all applications and services need MEC
While some of the discussion in Munich centered on connected cars and the “internet of things,” the reality is that MEC will be more suited to localized applications and services than network-wide apps. In the case where a user is crossing from one side of a city to another, for example, the app is likely better hosted in the evolved packet core or cloud. Trying to coordinate handoff between multiple MEC “islands” across the network will be complex and expensive. MEC therefore makes more sense when the user stays local, for example in a town center or stadium or campus. Note that this does not mean the user has to stay within a single cell – the MEC server can be located in a BBU hotel or hosting location and so can serve multiple cells.
IGR took away from the conference that the MEC community is busy and thriving. The names involved are big and are from outside the usual mobile vendor ecosystem. MEC marries IT with mobile. In fact, I started the conference off with a statement that MEC is the “IT-ization” of the mobile network. MEC opens up the mobile environment to the IT managers, vendors and solutions and removes the barriers. Rather than seeing mobile networks as “special” (or difficult, depending on your viewpoint), MEC enables the IT folks to incorporate mobile into everything they do. It will be interesting to see how MEC evolves in the next few years and how it plays with other edge initiatives.
Iain Gillott, founder and president of iGR, is an acknowledged wireless and mobile industry authority and an accomplished presenter. Gillott has been involved in the wireless industry, as both a vendor and analyst, for more than 20 years. The company was founded in 2000 as iGillottResearch in order to provide in-depth market analysis and data focused exclusively on the wireless and mobile industry. Before founding iGR, Gillott was a group VP in IDC’s telecommunications practice, managing IDC’s worldwide research on wireless and mobile communications and Internet access, telecom brands, residential and small business telecommunications and telecom billing services. Prior to joining IDC, Gillott was in various technical roles and a proposal manager at EDS (now Hewlett-Packard), responsible for preparing new business proposals to wireless and mobile operators.
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