Modeling Performance and Energy Efficiency of Virtualized Flexible Networks

We examine some aspects of modelling and control in modern telecommunication networks, in the light of their evolution toward a completely virtualised paradigm on top of a flexible physical infrastructure. The trade-off between performance indicators related to user satisfaction of services (e.g., in terms of perceived quality, delay and ease of the interaction) and the energy consumption induced on the physical infrastructure is considered with some attention. In this respect, we provide a discussion of potential problems and ways to face them, along with a short description of the approaches taken in some European project activities.