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2 商业价值 Business Value

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Mobile Edge Computing offers an IT service environment at a location considered to be a lucrative point in the mobile network: the Radio Access Network (RAN) edge. Characterized by proximity, low latency and high bandwidth, this environment will offer localized cloud computing capabilities as well as exposure to real-time radio network and context information.

Opening up this IT service environment will allow applications and services from mobile operators, service and content providers to be efficiently and seamlessly integrated across multi-vendor, mobile edge computing platforms. The characteristics and capabilities offered by a MEC platform can be leveraged in a way that will allow proximity, context, agility and speed to be used for wider innovation that can be translated into unique value and revenue generation.

Access to content and applications can be accelerated; their responsiveness can be increased, maximizing speed and interactivity. Popular and locally-relevant content can be delivered directly where users connect, limiting ingress bandwidth to the core and cloud. Knowledge of real-time radio network conditions and context information can be used to optimize the network and service operation (responding and adapting to changing network conditions). This would improve service experience and the utilization of network resources, enabling them to efficiently handle increased amounts of traffic. Real-time network and fine-granular context information (including location) could be used to enrich the mobile broadband experience by creating highly personalized services which are tailored to individual needs and preferences.

Operators can reposition themselves in the value chain and redefine personalized services. They can capitalize their networks and open them up to authorized third-parties (in a secure way), exposing capabilities to Over the Top (OTT) players and application developers to flexibly, agilely and rapidly deploy innovative applications and services towards mobile subscribers, enterprises and vertical segments. Operators will be able to create new revenue streams, delight their customers by developing a new breed of applications that provide incremental value, and open up new market opportunities. In addition, applications supporting tighter integration of network and service parameters will improve both service experience and utilization of the network resources.

Application service providers, OTT players and independent software vendors will be able to translate proximity and context into value, and be able to generate new revenue. Their applications and services can be enhanced and accelerated to provide a unique and unparalleled experience. Innovative applications can be deployed rapidly in a new standards-based environment, taking advantage of new levels of flexibility and agility. Applications will be able to expand their cloud into the mobile network and create a whole new set of services. They will be able to feel and react to end-user experience in real time, based on the actual radio conditions. The new MEC specifications will allow applications and services to be deployed on top of multi-vendor Mobile Edge Computing platforms, enabling them to be used by the vast majority of the customers of a single mobile operator. The mobile end user will enjoy a unique, gratifying and personalized mobile-broadband experience. The MEC initiative will help to develop favourable market conditions for all players in the value chain as well as facilitate economic growth with a myriad of new use cases across multiple sectors (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Improved QoE with Mobile Edge Computing in close proximity to end users

MEC Value

MEC具有以下技术特征

• 业务本地化、缓存加速 (业务/内容近距离访问) Local Area Data Network (LADN)
• 本地分流、灵活路由 (用户面下沉) Local Routing and Traffic Steering:
• 网络信息感知和开放 (位置、负荷、资源利用率等)
• 边缘技术、存储能力 (计算任务卸载、数据汇聚等)
• 基于IT通用平台 (灵活/快速业务部署)

下面通过5G的典型应用场景来讨论5G的价值

eMBB

未来5G网络数据流量密度和用户体验速率的急剧增长，不仅给对无线接入网带来了挑战，同时也让核心网承受了更大的数据冲击。传统LTE网络里，所有的数据流必须经过处于LTE网络和Internet边界的PGW上，即使同一小区的用户间的数据流也必须经过PGW，这不仅给网络内部新内容应用服务的部署带来了困难，同时数据面功能的过度集中也对PGW的性能提出更高要求，导致PGW成为网络吞吐的瓶颈。

MEC技术通过业务本地化，缓存加速以及本地分流, 灵活路由等技术可以有效降低网络回传带宽要求，缓解核心网的数据传输压力。换句话说，这些技术时实现未来5G网络业务应用近距离部署访问、用户面灵活高效分布式按需部署的有效手段，可以为用户提供低时延高带宽的传输能力，打造虚拟的RAN。

值得注意的是，5G控制面的主要功能依然采用集中控制的方式部署在控制云。

以学校或企业为例，通过业务本地化和本地分流技术，可以实现内部本地高效办公、本地资源访问、内部通信等，从而为用户提供免费（低资费）、高体验的本地连接和本地业务访问能力。也就是说，通过MEC技术，为企业/校园等热点场景提供一个虚拟的RAN，实现MEC本地业务本地解决的主要思想。

urLLC

高可靠低时延场景主要针对对时延极其敏感且对可靠性要求比较高的一些场景，比如原创医疗，工业控制和车联网等。

针对这类场景，需要从空口和网络传输两个方面进行系统架构的设计和开发。空口时延要求为1ms量级。

基于MEC提供的边缘云计算服务，可以将部署在Internet或者远端云计算中心的传统业务应用，迁移至网络边缘。一些特定的、受欢迎的内容可以部署或者缓存在靠近网线接入网以及用户终端的位置，从而降低网络端到端时延，提高用户QoE。

因此，基于MEC的业务应用本地化和缓存加速等功能可以有效降低或者消除回传带来的时延影响，一定程度桑满足5G网络对于网络时延的要求。

mMTC

为了解决移动终端(特别是低成本MTC终端)有限的计算和存储能力和功耗问题，需要将高度负责、高能耗计算任务迁移至云计算数据中心的服务器段完成，从而降低低成本终端的功耗，延长其待机时间。

传统的将高能耗任务卸载到远程云端的传统方法，能够降低能耗提高待机实践，却带来了传输时延的增加。

基于MEC的边缘计算、存储能力, 通过将高能耗任务迁移至无线接入网边缘(MEC服务器或本地服务器), 可以有效解决任务迁移到远端云中心带来的时延问题。

同时，MEC服务器可以作为MTC终端的汇聚节点，完成信令及数据的本地汇聚、存储和任务，降低MTC终端存储资源的需求和网络负荷。

另外，MEC可以针对不同的终端和协议完成接口统一。

QoE优化

业务应用本地化使得业务应用更加靠近无线接入网和终端用户本身，此时，实时的无线上下文信息(小区ID、网络负载、无线资源利用率等)可以被业务应用有效感知并加以充分利用，从而为终端用户提供更加差异化的服务和业务体验，提升用户QoE。

更进一步，网络运营商可以将无线网络能力向第三方(内容提供商/软件开发商)开放，实现网络和业务的深度融合，从而加速创新型业务的开发和部署。

参考文档

• 多接入边缘计算(MEC)及关键技术 - 2.2 MEC价值
• etsi_wp11_mec_a_key_technology_towards_5g