Integration of SDR and SDN for 5G

Wireless networks have evolved from 1G to 4G networks, allowing smart devices to become important tools in daily life. The 5G network is a revolutionary technology that can change consumers´ Internet use habits, as it creates a truly wireless environment. It is faster, with better quality, and is more secure. Most importantly, users can truly use network services anytime, anywhere. With increasing demand, the use of bandwidth and frequency spectrum resources is beyond expectations. This paper found that the frequency spectrum and network information have considerable relevance; thus, spectrum utilization and channel flow interactions should be simultaneously considered. We considered that software defined radio (SDR) and software defined networks (SDNs) are the best solution. We propose a cross-layer architecture combining SDR and SDN characteristics. As the simulation evaluation results suggest, the proposed architecture can effectively use the frequency spectrum and considerably enhance network performance. Based on the results, suggestions are proposed for follow-up studies on the proposed architecture.