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Network virtualization is a relatively new research topic. A number of articles propose that certain benefits can be realized by virtualizing links between network elements as well as adding virtualization on intermediate network elements. In this article we argue that network virtualization may bring nothing new in terms of technical capabilities and theoretical performance, but it provides a way of organizing networks such that it is possible to overcome some of the practical issues in today's Internet. We strengthen our case by an analogy between the concept of network virtualization as it is currently presented in research, and machine virtualization as proven useful in deployments in recent years. First we make an analogy between the functionality of an operating system and that of a network, and identify similar concepts and elements. Then we emphasize the practical benefits realized by machine virtualization, and we exploit the analogy to derive potential benefits brought by network virtualization. We map the established applications for machine virtualization to network virtualization, thus identifying possible use cases for network virtualization. We also use this analogy to structure the design space for network virtualization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mobile network operators, with decreasing revenue but high network performance requirements, are standing at a crossroads. Investing in 3GPP defined highly functional mobile networks and the consequent maintenance to sustain the market-driven network service quality standard results in high total cost of ownership unseen in fixed operators. Revenue reduction will make it significantly difficult to fund such TCO in the future. In this light, sharing networks is a viable solution to reduce network expenditure, as can also be seen from present trends. However, current networking sharing solutions, although reducing TCO, come with limitations in network management flexibility, and standalone decision making in network expansion and service introduction. Virtualization-based isolation techniques have the potential of enabling network sharing along with management flexibility and independence among the sharing entities. However, virtualization brings added complexity to the overall network management structure. In this article, we propose a next mobile network architecture, where the physical network infrastructure is shared by multiple entities, but the management and control of the physical infrastructure, virtual network creation and maintenance, and the usage of the virtual networks are decoupled from each other to reduce management complexity in each segment. In addition, we address the technical as well as business perspectives of the proposed architecture, discuss open issues, and provide research directions to realize such a flexible value-added commercial network for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]