Availability Model of a 5G-MEC System

Abstract: Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) is one of the enabling technologies of the fifth generation (5G) of mobile networks. MEC enables services with strict latency requirements by bringing computing capabilities close to the users. As with any new technology, the dependability of MEC is one of the aspects that need to be carefully studied. In this paper, we propose a two-level model to compute the availability of a 5G-MEC system. We then use the model to evaluate the availability of a 5G-MEC system under various configurations. The results show that having a single redundancy of the 5G-MEC elements leads an acceptable availability. To reach a high availability, the software failure intensity of the management elements of 5G and MEC should be reduced.