###### Abstract  
Although log processing of network equipment is a common technique in cellular network management, several factors make said task challenging, especially during mass attendance events. The present paper assesses classic methods for cellular network measurement and acquisition, showing how the use of on-the-field user probes can provide relevant capabilities to the analysis of cellular network performance. Therefore, a framework for the deployment of this kind of system is proposed here based on the development of a new hardware virtualization platform with radio frequency capabilities. Accordingly, an analysis of the characteristics and requirements for the use of virtual probes was performed. Moreover, the impact that social events (e.g., sports matches) may have on the service provision was evaluated through a real cellular scenario. For this purpose, a long-term measurement study during crowded events (i.e., football matches) in a stadium has been conducted, and the performances of different services and operators under realistic settings has been evaluated. As a result, several considerations are presented that can be used for better management of future networks. cellular performance; operators; measurements; probe; crowds +
Footnote †: journal: Sensors  
0000-0001-5000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-00000-0000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-000000-00000-00000-00000-00000-000000-00000-000000-00000-000000-00000-000000-000000-of drive test techniques (MDT) [4] can reduce the high cost of these tests, it is still very expensive to have periodic monitoring that reflects the conditions at any given moment. On the other hand, operators prefer probing methods that prevent the active intervention of the users. The technological advancement of development hardware based on general-purpose platforms (GPPs) and software defined radio (SDR) makes possible the integration of flexible network elements that can be managed and configured by means of container-based virtualization applications such as Docker [5]. This availability is becoming a trend towards the use of open-source base stations replacing small cells that could be deployed by users and integrated into the 5G network [6; 7]. With this approach, it would also be possible to enable these GPPs and SDR platforms as virtualized User Equipment (UE) probes (or vUE probes) to assist in network management, especially in conflicting places in a city, such as crowded events [8; 9]. Thus, the advantages of this functionality are multiple: from testing new standards and configurations or assisting in troubleshooting to regular logging for traffic/usage profiling purposes, among many others. Significantly, the scenarios involving crowds lack traceability at the locations where they appear. In this regard, the contributions of this work include:  
1. A novel framework for the inclusion of user side trace information based on virtual UE probes (vUE probes) in OAM systems. 2. A case study based on crowded events illustrating the capabilities of these probes by characterizing their cross-layer/multi-operator acquisition of data. The combination of radio network layer information and different user application-level measurements goes beyond the previous studies. 3. A novel assessment of a crowded scenario (Stadium) based on a long-term measurement campaign, including the deployment of several probes connected to different operators, provides innovative insight into how social events impact the network (before, during and after an event). From this case, the shortcomings, challenges and further applications of the proposed framework and the use of vUE probes were identified. This paper is divided as follows: In Section 2, the related works and the classical approach of SON management are presented. In Section 3, the presentation of the framework of the use of vUE probing and its possible applications are discussed.