CRAMP: Clustering-based RANs association and MEC placement for delay-sensitive applications

With advancements in networking technology and ubiquitous computing, there has been a significant increase in the number of edge devices and delay-sensitive applications. To facilitate efficient processing, mobile edge computing (MEC) technology provides resources through MEC servers, which are deployed at the radio access networks (RANs) of 5G networks. However, these MEC servers possess a limited amount of resources, making their effective management of these resources a critical challenge. This is due to the uneven distribution of resource utilization, where some resources become overutilized while others remain underutilized. Addressing the issue above while simultaneously satisfying user requirements for delay-sensitive applications poses a significant challenge at the edge. In this paper, we propose a clustering-based efficient RANs association and MEC server placement model to tackle this challenge. Our primary objective is to minimize MEC server deployment costs while ensuring that the delays of these applications are effectively managed. We propose a greedy algorithm called the clustering-based radio access networks association and mobile edge computing placement (CRAMP) algorithm, which determines the optimal location of MEC servers to associate with RANs. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm outperforms existing approaches regarding cost efficiency and delay management.