Abstract
Mobile networks have evolved from pure transport networks for voice, text andimage data to multifunctional data processing platforms. This goes hand in handwith the change from manufacturer-dependent, hardware-based systems tovirtual infrastructure environments based on standard systems.This paradigm shift creates completely new possibilities for functionalities andservices which was not able with the old architecture. On the other hand, theongoing development of the mobile networks with its virtual platforms generatesnew challenges which must be analysed and solved.While the demands on the new functionalities and services are increasing, theend-user device also become more powerful. The combination of end-userdevice mobility, limited resources at the edge of the internet leads to a pressingdemand for adequate measures to enable the fulfilment of these for real-timerequirement. These measures and controls are not sufficient in the existingarchitecture because the functionality is focussed on the cellular network andtheir provider and not on the user with its device.The aim of this research project is to extend the existing functional architecturein heterogeneous cellular network with intelligent application distributionservices for applications on the end-user devices. This is important especially inreal-time applications when the end-user is moving fast.The novel functional architecture was evaluated with some use cases. Thenovel concept was proofed with a discrete event simulator. The results haveshown that the novel architecture achieves improvements for applicationdistribution including application offload and migration. Further use cases haveshown that benefits can achieved in the context of services from 3 rd parties.
Awarding Institution(s)
University of Plymouth
Award Sponsors
IQDoQ GmbH
Supervisor
Bogdan Ghita, Woldemar Fuhrmann
Keywords
Multi-Access Edge Computing, MEC Manager, Application Distribution, Black Rider, Relocation Policy, Simu5g
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Date
2026
Embargo Period
2026-03-15
Deposit Date
March 2026
Additional Links
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Frank, H. (2026) Optimisation of Application Distribution for Heterogeneous Multi-access Edge Computing Environments. Thesis. University of Plymouth. Available at: https://doi.org/10.24382/p3jq-he16
