Design of 5G MEC-Based Networks With 1:N:K Protection Scheme

With the advent of 5G networks, telecommunications infrastructure providers (InP) have faced numerous challenges as they attempt to meet the stringent quality of service requirements. The placement of applications at the edge of the mobile network in Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and slicing techniques have provided powerful tools to enable networks to support these requirements. This paper studies the problem of locating MECs and slices in a 5G infrastructure protected by a 1: ${N}$ : ${K}$ protection scheme. The aim is to support high reliability and low latency requirements at a minimum cost. A bi-objective non-linear formulation is proposed, and a solution is derived by employing the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA)-II. Results show that the enhanced 1: ${N}$ : ${K}$ scheme is cost-effective. The proposal is evaluated on the basis of various levels of reliability, latency requirements, and probability of failure.