Applying Big Data, Machine Learning, and SDN/NFV to 5G Traffic Clustering, Forecasting, and Management

Traffic clustering, forecasting, and management play a crucial role in improving network efficiency, network quality, load balancing (LB), and energy saving of mobile networks. Especially, in 5G networks, a dense heterogeneous architecture of various types of cells (macro cells and small cells) make traffic management become more complicated. Moreover, investigating and understanding traffic patterns of a huge number of cells are challenging issues, but valuable for network operators. On the other hand, big data, machine learning (ML), software-defined network (SDN), and network functions virtualization (NFV) have recently been proposed as emerging technologies and the necessary tools for empowering the SON of 5G to address the intensive computation and optimization issues. In this study, the authors applied those technologies to build a practical and powerful framework for clustering, forecasting, and managing traffic behaviors for a huge number of base stations with different statistical traffic characteristics of different types of cells (GSM, 3G, 4G). Besides, several applications based on traffic forecasting were also introduced. Finally, the performance of the proposed models was evaluated by applying them to a real dataset that collected traffic KPIs (key performance indicators) of more than 6000 cells of a real network during the years, 2016 and 2017.