An NDN-Enabled Fog Radio Access Network Architecture With Distributed In-Network Caching

TL;DR

This paper proposes an NDN-enabled Fog Radio Access Network architecture with distributed in-network caching, demonstrating improved resource utilization and cache efficiency through simulation compared to baseline strategies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integration of NDN with F-RAN and a distributed caching strategy, advancing network architecture design for 6G.

Findings

Enhanced network resource utilization

Higher cache hit rates

Reduced fronthaul channel usage

Abstract

To meet the increasing demands of next-generation cellular networks (e.g., 6G), advanced networking technologies must be incorporated. On one hand, the Fog Radio Access Network (F-RAN), has been proposed as an enhancement to the Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN). On the other hand, efficient network architectures, such as Named Data Networking (NDN), have been recognized as prominent Future Internet candidates. Nevertheless, the interplay between F-RAN and NDN warrants further investigation. In this paper, we propose an NDN-enabled F-RAN architecture featuring a strategy for distributed in-network caching. Through a simulation study, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed in-network caching strategy in comparison with baseline caching strategies in terms of network resource utilization, cache hits, and fronthaul channel usage.