VNF-PR in B5G Networks: A Heuristic Approach to Minimize Latency and Energy Consumption

This paper proposes the Efficient Node Activation Heuristic (ENAH) to solve the Virtual Network Function Placement and Routing Problem (VNF-PR) in 5G and beyond networks (B5G). ENAH effectively manages the On/Off state of servers, activating only the necessary servers before allocating Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). This strategic activation minimizes both latency and energy consumption while maintaining high Quality of Service (QoS). Extensive simulations in high-demand scenarios demonstrated that ENAH significantly reduces latency by up to 29% and energy consumption by up to 37%. These improvements contribute substantially to the efficiency, sustainability and performance of modern telecommunication networks.