Federated Learning-Empowered Mobile Network Management for 5G and Beyond Networks: From Access to Core

The fifth generation (5G) and beyond wireless networks are envisioned to provide an integrated communication and computing platform that will enable multipurpose and intelligent networks driven by a growing demand for both traditional end users and industry verticals. This evolution will be realized by innovations in both core and access capabilities, mainly from virtualization technologies and ultra-dense networks, e.g., software-defined networking (SDN), network slicing, network function virtualization (NFV), multi-access edge computing (MEC), terahertz (THz) communications, etc. However, those technologies require increased complexity of resource management and large configurations of network slices. In this new milieu, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), network operators will strive to enable AI-empowered network management by automating radio and computing resource management and orchestration processes in a data-driven manner. In this regard, most of the previous AI-empowered network management approaches adopt a traditional centralized training paradigm where diverse training data generated at network functions over distributed base stations associated with MEC servers are transferred to a central training server. On the other hand, to exploit distributed and parallel processing capabilities of distributed network entities in a fast and secure manner, federated learning (FL) has emerged as a distributed AI approach that can enable many AI-empowered network management approaches by allowing for AI training at distributed network entities without the need for data transmission to a centralized server. This article comprehensively surveys the field of FL-empowered mobile network management for 5G and beyond networks from access to the core. Specifically, we begin with an introduction to the state-of-the-art of FL by exploring and analyzing recent advances in FL in general. Then, we provide an extensive survey of AI-empowered network management, including background on 5G network functions, mobile traffic prediction, and core/access network management regarding standardization and research activities. We then present an extensive survey of FL-empowered network management by highlighting how FL is adopted in AI-empowered network management. Important lessons learned from this review of AI and FL-empowered network management are also provided. Finally, we complement this survey by discussing open issues and possible directions for future research in this important emerging area.

I. Introduction

The fifth generation (5G) and beyond wireless networks can be realized by innovations in both core (i.e., virtualization technologies) and access capabilities (i.e., ultra-dense networks) aiming for multipurpose and intelligent networks on an integrated communication and computing platform. Specifically, mature virtualization technologies in the mobile core network, such as software-defined networking (SDN), network slicing, and network function virtualization (NFV), have been widely adopted on top of distributed multi-access edge computing (MEC) for providing the flexibility necessary for dynamic resource allocation [13]. In the access network, an ultra-dense network can be considered an emerging technology for serving a massive number of users with considerable capacity, which also can be easily integrated with extremely high frequencies such as millimeter wave (mmWave) and terahertz (THz) communications [14]. However, those technologies require increased complexity of resource management (e.g., resource allocation, interference management, network deployment, backhauling, congestion management, etc.) [14], and large configurations of network slices [13].