SDR Virtualization in Future Mobile Networks: Enabling Multi-Programmable Air-Interfaces

The fifth generation of mobile networks is envisioned to provide connectivity services to a multitude of devices with vastly different requirements. Current mobile systems rely on inflexible hardware-based RF front-end that provide a “onesize- fits-all“ air-interface. Instead, future mobile networks should be flexible, providing different air-interfaces for particular users and applications. In this paper, we present HyDRA, a softwaredefined- radio virtualization layer that enables the execution of multiple programmable air-interfaces on top of one RF front-end. Our solution multiplexes digitized IQ signal samples of multiple virtual radios into a single stream. We have implemented HyDRA and experimentally evaluate its performance in a scenario that considers a base station executing LTE and NB-IoT VRs. Results obtained show that HyDRA is able to efficiently multiplex these two technologies, while the computational analysis shows that HyDRA is not CPU-intensive and can run in standard, commodity computers. We also show that HyDRA is a promising framework to enable RRH slicing, multi-radio access networks, and flexible multi-tenant networks.