Okwuibe, Liyanage, Ahmad, and Ylianttila
384
16.3.3 Use Cases of MEC Computing in 5G
The open architecture of MEC makes is a suitable option for a number of novel applications and use cases. However, given that MEC is still in its infancy, most of its potential
use cases and scenarios are not typical in the current networking environment. With
existing network infrastructure, a few use cases are already being tested and verified;
among these are active device location tracking and distributed content and Domain
Name System (DNS) caching:
● Active Device Location Tracking: This use case combines a third‐party geo‐location
algorithm with an MEC‐based application to perform real‐time network measurement. This enables the tracking of devices without reliance on conventional Global
Positioning System (GPS) devices.
● Distributed Content and DNS Caching: Just like the caching services in conventional
web browsers speeding up access to frequently visited sites, this use case is made
effective by minimizing the load at the server through caching, hence providing faster
data delivery to customers. According to a report by BT TSO – Research & Technology,
content caching has the potential to reduce backhaul capacity requirements by up to
35%. Local Domain Name System (DNS) caching can reduce web page download
time by 20% [29].
Other experimental use cases of MEC include:
● Video Analytics: which uses a video management application to process and store video
data, and using some predefined algorithms; it occasionally collects new video streams
and compares with pre‐recorded streams to detect changes in the environment. Typical
applications under this use case are the smart city and public security [28].
MEC Hosting Infrastructure
MEC Physical Infrastructure
MEC Virtualization Layer
MEC Virtualization Manager
Application Platform Services
Traffic Offload
Functions
MEC
APP
VM
VM
VM
VM
VM
MEC
APP
MEC
APP
MEC
APP
MEC
APP
Radio Network
Infromation Services
Communication
Services
Service
Registry
Application
Management
Systems
Application
Platform
Management
Systems
MEC Hosting
Infrastructure
Management
System
Figure 16.5 MEC server platform.
384
16.3.3 Use Cases of MEC Computing in 5G
The open architecture of MEC makes is a suitable option for a number of novel applications and use cases. However, given that MEC is still in its infancy, most of its potential
use cases and scenarios are not typical in the current networking environment. With
existing network infrastructure, a few use cases are already being tested and verified;
among these are active device location tracking and distributed content and Domain
Name System (DNS) caching:
● Active Device Location Tracking: This use case combines a third‐party geo‐location
algorithm with an MEC‐based application to perform real‐time network measurement. This enables the tracking of devices without reliance on conventional Global
Positioning System (GPS) devices.
● Distributed Content and DNS Caching: Just like the caching services in conventional
web browsers speeding up access to frequently visited sites, this use case is made
effective by minimizing the load at the server through caching, hence providing faster
data delivery to customers. According to a report by BT TSO – Research & Technology,
content caching has the potential to reduce backhaul capacity requirements by up to
35%. Local Domain Name System (DNS) caching can reduce web page download
time by 20% [29].
Other experimental use cases of MEC include:
● Video Analytics: which uses a video management application to process and store video
data, and using some predefined algorithms; it occasionally collects new video streams
and compares with pre‐recorded streams to detect changes in the environment. Typical
applications under this use case are the smart city and public security [28].
MEC Hosting Infrastructure
MEC Physical Infrastructure
MEC Virtualization Layer
MEC Virtualization Manager
Application Platform Services
Traffic Offload
Functions
MEC
APP
VM
VM
VM
VM
VM
MEC
APP
MEC
APP
MEC
APP
MEC
APP
Radio Network
Infromation Services
Communication
Services
Service
Registry
Application
Management
Systems
Application
Platform
Management
Systems
MEC Hosting
Infrastructure
Management
System
Figure 16.5 MEC server platform.