e as the subscriber and device. In a 5G network, the edge locality is called an anchor point where network access and service processing is performed in an evolved packet core (EPC) network deployed on an SDN. An anchor point can be defined for a specific network slice of common subscriber's devices. Anchor switches provide network traffic routing between SDN anchor points. In contrast to 5G networks, 2G/3G/4G networks are generally organized as geographical regions serviced out of a regional data center. This regional data center may use one or more EPC SDNs similar to a 5G anchor point to service subscribers/devices in that region. Network Function Virtualization: Concepts and Applicability in 5G Networks, First Edition. Ying Zhang. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 5 SDN and NFV in 5G In this chapter, we first present the 5G overview and its relation with SDN/NFV. Then, we discuss service function chaining (SFC) in detail, which is a key concept in 5G deployment, and later present the virtu- alization usage in 5G: virtualized EPC. 5G Overview As the next-generation mobile network, 5G is proposed when the number of user equipment (UE) and the surge in bandwidth has significantly increased. There are several objectives that 5G network is designed for, as follows: Supporting massive amount of connected devices: With the deploy- ment and evolution of IoT, it is predicted that by 2010, there would be 50 billion Internet-connected devices. These types of devices have a wide range, including mobile phone, smart TVs, tractors, robots, sensors, and wearable devices. Achieving ultralow latency: The future mobile network should sup- port real-time communications across devices. Many IoT devices such as medical equipments require very low latency in communi- cation due to its critical importance. Efficiently utilizing spectrums: Currently, the spectrum channel is often underutilized. It is necessary to develop techniques to increase the utilization of the precious resources. Catching