5G Multi-access Edge Computing: a Survey on Security, Dependability, and Performance

TL;DR

This survey reviews 5G Multi-access Edge Computing, focusing on security, dependability, and performance, highlighting current challenges and future research directions for mission-critical applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive taxonomy and overview of the state-of-the-art in 5G MEC's security, dependability, and performance aspects, addressing their joint challenges.

Findings

Identifies key challenges in securing MEC in 5G networks.

Highlights the importance of dependability for mission-critical MEC applications.

Discusses performance trade-offs and optimization strategies.

Abstract

The Fifth Generation (5G) of mobile networks offers new and advanced services with stricter requirements. Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) is a key technology that enables these new services by deploying multiple devices with computing and storage capabilities at the edge of the network, close to end-users. MEC enhances network efficiency by reducing latency, enabling real-time awareness of the local environment, allowing cloud offloading, and reducing traffic congestion. New mission-critical applications require high security and dependability, which are rarely addressed alongside performance. This survey paper fills this gap by presenting 5G MEC's three aspects: security, dependability, and performance. The paper provides an overview of MEC, introduces taxonomy, state-of-the-art, and challenges related to each aspect. Finally, the paper presents the challenges of jointly addressing these three aspects.