5G MEC Multi Access Edge Computing | Advantages of MEC in 5G

This page covers advantages of 5G MEC (Multi Access Edge Computing) architecture. It mentions benefits or advantages of MEC used with 5G NR (New Radio) network.

What is 5G MEC ( Multi-Access Edge Computing )?

Introduction:
It is an integral part of 5G NR ecosystem. It offers application specific capabilities to the 5G users. Moreover it offers latency sensitive use cases to the users. MEC provides networking and computing capabilities to the edge of the 5G network. Initially it was used for mobile phones and hence it was called mobile edge computing.

Following are the key points which has led to the development of MEC for 5G network.
• Growth in number of mobile devices due to IoT
• Growth in volume of data generated by OTT (Over The Top) applications e.g. video streaming, online games, social media etc.
• Need to run application services in multiple locations to enhance reliability.
• Need to distribute infrastructure where services are hosted in service provider network for
• To simplify management and orchestration of multi vendor functions
• To reduce the latency to support new use cases e.g. autonomous cars, VR, AR and robotic surgery

5G MEC Architecture, Multi-Access Edge Computing

Image Courtesy : ETSI, www.etsi.org

The figure depicts generic architecture of MEC ( Multi-Access Edge Computing ) used in 5G technology. It is similar to NFV architecture. MEC architecture houses following functionalities.
• MEC Orchestrator
• MEC Platform
• MEC Platform Manager
• Virtualization Infrastructure
• MEC application services

5G architecture provides number of ways to integrate MEC into its network. Moreover MEC deployment is flexible. As a result, it can be deployed in different locations of 5G network. This depends on several factors which include infrastructure, applications/services, network latency and bandwidth.
• MEC and UPF (User Plane Function) can be co-located with BS (Base Station)
• MEC co-located with transmission node and possibly with UPF
• MEC and UPF co-located with network aggregation point
• MEC co-located with core network functions

Benefits or advantages of 5G MEC

Following are the benefits or advantages of 5G MEC:
➨It offers new network services to the customers. Hence it enables service providers to increase revenue by exploiting multiple use cases.
➨Applications run in local environment which improves performance and user experience due to lower latencies.
➨Without changing existing 5G network architecture, service providers can roll out new services for end customers.
➨Services are available to customers based on their locations due to OTT ("Over the Top") applications.
➨It offers security for IoT (Internet of Things) services.
➨It offers distributed infrastructure and improves application reliability and network services.
➨It provides environment for local policy management for enterprise customers.
➨It offers real time access of data locally under IoT environment.
➨It reduces operational costs by avoiding requirements of expensive data centers.
➨It reduces the need of cloud data storage and consecutively saves transport costs.
➨It conserves network bandwidth and reduces network congestion.