Heterogeneous Backhaul for Cloud-Based Mobile Networks

To meet the increasing capacity demands of future mobile networks, dense deployment of radio access nodes in combination with partly centralized processing by means of a cloud-based architecture is a promising option. In such an architecture, the design and optimization of the backhaul plays a crucial role. In this paper, we review different backhaul technologies available and discuss their characteristics for use in cloud-based networks. We point out how a heterogeneous backhaul network and a flexible centralization enables the proposed architecture and give an outlook on how a joint design of access and backhaul can help in meeting the increased demands.