The purpose of ETSI GR MWT 016 is to provide information on the applications and use cases of the SDN paradigm as related to MW and mmW transmission.

The analysis covers the following progressively widening ranges:

• 1) The radio link network segment in itself.
• 2) The interactions of the radio link network segment with an adjacent segment.
• 3) The radio link network segment as a part of an end-to-end connection.

Even if going towards a wider network range the relevance of the MW/mmW segment may become less evident, nevertheless the relevance of SDN is at its highest level when considering end-to-end scope, where the MW/mmW segment is just a part of the whole picture but anyway requested to be able to adapt to the SDN requirements in order for services to be efficiently and effectively provisioned.

The classification of applications and use cases in the three aforementioned broad categories reflects a natural layering in terms of scope width, increasing complexity and increasing value, in terms of cost reduction, enabler for new revenue streams and enabler of innovations not yet thought of.

It has to be noted that several use cases described in a given network range (and clause) become part of the use cases described in the wider network range (and following clause) in a sort of recursive and auto-similar behaviour; it is anyway useful to keep the use case in all the relevant clauses in order to highlight the significant increase in value and decrease in cost that is achieved by extending the use case from segment towards end-to-end scope.