Software Defined Wireless Networks: Part 2 [Guest Editorial]

Abstract

The concept of software defined wireless networks (SDWN) has been rapidly evolving as the solution to meet the demand for dynamic wireless services in ubiquitous computing. In SDWN, the control plane and data plane are decoupled, network intelligence is logically centralized, and the underlying network infrastructure is abstracted from the applications. Thus it highly simplifies network administration and management, which facilitates the dynamic nature of future network functions and intelligent applications while lowering operating costs through simplified hardware, software, and management. This is the second part of the Software Defined Wireless Networks (SDWN) Feature Topic. In Part 1, which was published in November 2015, we provided an overview of the latest major developments and progress in SDWN architecture. In this Part II, we present articles that provide fruitful insights into selected topics such as Cloud-RAN management, flexible spectrum management, SDWN security, and SDN-based self organizing strategies. We believe that it complements Part I, and together they provide a holistic overview of features and trends in future SDWN development.