lightedge, a lightweight, ETSI-compliant MEC solution for 4G and 5G networks.
lightedge can provide Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) with a MEC platform that can immediately bring the advantages of edge computing to current 4G users, while enabling a seamless transition from the 4G towards a full 5G architecture.
lightedge is transparent to the existing components of a 4G network, therefore requiring zero modifications to the MNO’s environment. lightedge is designed to integrate seamlessly with standard ETSI NFV solutions like Open Source MANO (OSM).
Mapping the Evolution of Multi-access Edge Computing in Cellular Networks.
lightedge follows the bump in the wire architecture proposed by ETSI, thereby placing the MEC host between the RAN and the EPC of the 4G system to enable the interception of UE requests.
lightedge minimizes the changes to the MNO's existing infrastructure and can be seamlessly deployed between RAN and EPC as long as access to the S1AP and the S1 interfaces is provided.
Re-provisioning of MME pools is avoided by intercepting relevant UE attachment, detachment, and mobility events. lightedge can keep serving users even when handovers occur.
Features
lightedge is a flexible platform for edge computing.
Service Registry
The catalog of services and applications that can be executed. Moust could-ready applications supported.
MQTT
A publish-subscribe system allowing services and applications to exchange information in real-time.
Traffic rules manager
Implement efficient traffic steering between applications and services and the 3GPP network.
Radio Network Information
Real-time RAN information from the Centralized Radio Resource Manager (based on 5G-EmPOWER).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Which eNodeB and EPC are supposrted by lightedge?
lightedge is in principle compatible with any standard compliant eNodeB and EPC. So far lightedge has been tested with several popular opensource 3GPP stacks including: srsLTE, Open5GS, and srsEPC.
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Can you use lightedge with mulitple eNodeBs?
Yes, lightedge supports and has been tested with multiple eNodeBs at the same time.
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Under which license is lightedge released?
lightedge is release under APACHE 2.0 license. Support for X2/S1 handover is available under a proprietary license.
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I am an academic and I would like to cite lightedge. Which refence should use use?
Estefania Coronado, Zarrar Yousaf, and Roberto Riggio, "LightEdge: Mapping the Evolution of Multi-access Edge Computing in Cellular Networks", in IEEE Communications Magazine, to appear.
Demos
Deploying Transparent Applications
This demo showcases how a typical web application can be offloaded using lightedge without impairing the effectiveness of the application.
This demo was first presented at IEEE NOMS 2020.
Assisted driving
This demo showcases how features like lane tracking and object detection can be safely offloaded using lightedge without impairing their effectiveness.!
Thanks to Gabriel Cebrian-Marquez (University of Oviedo) for the support in realizing this demo.
This demo was first presented at IEEE INFOCOM 2019 where it received the best demonstration award.