Bringing the Cloud to the Edge in FiWi Enhanced Networks

为了应对移动数据流量的空前增长，我们最近展示了通过统一以覆盖为中心的4G移动网络和基于低成本以数据为中心的以太网技术的以容量为中心的光纤无线（FiWi）宽带接入网获得的显著延迟和可靠性性能提升，特别注意了回程延迟和可靠性的性能限制影响。FiWi增强型4G移动网络可以被视为朝着满足超低延迟和超高可靠性要求迈出的重要一步，同时考虑到经济因素，并遵循未来5G移动网络的一体化愿景。在我们之前的工作中，考虑到去中心化是5G愿景的另一个重要方面，我们还关注了通过利用设备而不是基础设施端的智能，为FiWi增强型移动网络开发去中心化路由算法。随着互联网向物联网的转变，所谓的边缘服务预计将变得越来越重要。行业参与者越来越意识到，通过将今天的未修改云扩展到基于新兴移动边缘计算功能的分散两级云-云架构，从而获得移动云融合的好处，从而实现计算密集型和延迟敏感的新应用，例如认知辅助、增强现实或触觉互联网应用，如新兴云机器人的面部识别和导航。最近，可以观察到类似的去中心化趋势，因为移动基站的角色正在发生变化，它有机会成为服务创造的中心，以便从提供丰富的移动宽带体验中获利，这种体验的特点是低延迟、情境化和高度个性化的不可预见的应用和服务，有助于刺激创新、创造收入，并提高我们的日常生活质量。本研究计划探讨了集成云和FiWi增强网络与先进的移动边缘计算能力所带来的挑战和机遇。它研究了它们在引领未来触觉互联网方面的重要作用，特别关注开创性的云支持网络机器人服务和应用。从长远来看，拟议的研究活动旨在利用FiWi支持的人机通信，帮助合并和重组移动互联网、知识工作自动化、物联网、云技术和先进机器人技术，这些技术代表了2025年估计潜在经济影响最大的五种技术，以增加它们对社会的有益影响。**

To cope with the unprecedented growth of mobile data traffic, we recently have demonstrated the significant latency and reliability performance gains obtained from unifying coverage-centric 4G mobile networks and capacity-centric fiber-wireless (FiWi) broadband access networks based on low-cost data-centric Ethernet technologies, paying particular attention to the performance-limiting impact of backhaul latency and reliability. FiWi enhanced 4G mobile networks may be viewed as an important step towards meeting the requirements of very low latency and ultra-high reliability while taking economic considerations into account and following the integrative vision of future 5G mobile networks. In our previous work, we also paid attention to the development of a decentralized routing algorithm for FiWi enhanced mobile networks by exploiting intelligence at the device rather than infrastructure side given that decentralization is another important aspect of the 5G vision. So-called edge services are expected to become increasingly important as the Internet transforms into the Internet of Things. There is a growing awareness among industry players of reaping the benefits of mobile-cloud convergence by extending today's unmodified cloud to a decentralized two-level cloud-cloudlet architecture based on emerging mobile-edge computing capabilities, thus enabling new applications that are both compute intensive and latency sensitive, e.g., cognitive assistance, augmented reality, or tactile Internet applications such as face recognition and navigation for emerging cloud robotics. Recently, a similar trend toward decentralization can be observed for the changing role of the mobile base station and the compelling opportunity for it to become a hub of service creation in order to monetize from the provision of an enriched mobile broadband experience that is characterized by low-latency, contextualized, and highly personalized unforeseen applications and services that help stimulate innovation, generate revenue, and improve the quality of our every-day lives. This research proposal explores the challenges and opportunities arising from the integration of cloudlets and FiWi enhanced networks with advanced mobile-edge computing capabilities. It investigates their instrumental role in ushering in the future Tactile Internet with a particular focus on groundbreaking cloud-enabled networked robotic services and applications. In a long-term vision, the proposed research activities aim at exploiting FiWi enabled human-to-robot communications to help merge and recombine the mobile Internet, automation of knowledge work, Internet of Things, cloud technology, and advanced robotics, which represent the five technologies with the highest estimated potential economic impact in 2025, in order to multiply their beneficial impact on society. **