Cloud computing meets mobile wireless communications in next generation cellular networks

In next generation cellular networks, cloud computing will have profound impacts on mobile wireless communications. On the one hand, the integration of cloud computing into the mobile environment enables MCC systems. On the other hand, the powerful computing platforms in the cloud for radio access networks lead to a novel concept of C-RAN. In this article we study the topology configuration and rate allocation problem in C-RAN with the objective of optimizing the end-to-end performance of MCC users in next generation cellular networks. We use a decision theoretical approach to tackle the delayed channel state information problem in C-RAN. Simulation results show that the design and operation of future mobile wireless networks can be significantly affected by cloud computing, and the proposed scheme is capable of achieving substantial performance gains over existing schemes.