3GPP QoS-based scheduling framework for LTE

This paper proposes the design of a scheduling framework for the downlink of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system with the objective of meeting the Quality of Service (QoS) requirements as defined by the QoS architecture of the 3G Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications. We carry out a thorough review of 3GPP specifications analyzing the requirements of the 3GPP QoS architecture. LTE bearers may be associated with a Guaranteed Bit Rate (i.e., GBR bearers) or not (i.e., non-GBR bearers). Additionally, the specifications establish a Packet Delay Budget (PDB) to limit the maximum packet transfer delay. To achieve our goal, we design a channel-aware service discipline for GBR bearers which is able to fulfill not only the GBR but also the PDB. Additionally, we also design an algorithm for prioritizing GBR and non-GBR bearers from different QoS Class Identifiers (QCIs) following 3GPP QoS rules. We compare the proposed framework with two reference schedulers by means of network-level simulations. The results will show the ability of the proposed framework to address the QoS requirements from 3GPP specifications while providing an interesting performance from a spectral efficiency viewpoint.This work is partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Regional Development Fund (project TIN2013-46223-P)

Packet Scheduling Algorithms in LTE/LTE-A cellular Networks: Multi-agent Q-learning Approach

Spectrum utilization is vital for mobile operators. It ensures an efficient use of spectrum bands, especially when obtaining their license is highly expensive. Long Term Evolution (LTE), and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) spectrum bands license were auctioned by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to mobile operators with hundreds of millions of dollars. In the first part of this dissertation, we study, analyze, and compare the QoS performance of QoS-aware/Channel-aware packet scheduling algorithms while using CA over LTE, and LTE-A heterogeneous cellular networks. This included a detailed study of the LTE/LTE-A cellular network and its features, and the modification of an open source LTE simulator in order to perform these QoS performance tests. In the second part of this dissertation, we aim to solve spectrum underutilization by proposing, implementing, and testing two novel multi-agent Q-learning-based packet scheduling algorithms for LTE cellular network. The Collaborative Competitive scheduling algorithm, and the Competitive Competitive scheduling algorithm. These algorithms schedule licensed users over the available radio resources and un-licensed users over spectrum holes. In conclusion, our results show that the spectrum band could be utilized by deploying efficient packet scheduling algorithms for licensed users, and can be further utilized by allowing unlicensed users to be scheduled on spectrum holes whenever they occur

Enabling RAN Slicing Through Carrier Aggregation in mmWave Cellular Networks

The ever increasing number of connected devices and of new and heterogeneous mobile use cases implies that 5G cellular systems will face demanding technical challenges. For example, Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) and enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) scenarios present orthogonal Quality of Service (QoS) requirements that 5G aims to satisfy with a unified Radio Access Network (RAN) design. Network slicing and mmWave communications have been identified as possible enablers for 5G. They provide, respectively, the necessary scalability and flexibility to adapt the network to each specific use case environment, and low latency and multi-gigabit-per-second wireless links, which tap into a vast, currently unused portion of the spectrum. The optimization and integration of these technologies is still an open research challenge, which requires innovations at different layers of the protocol stack. This paper proposes to combine them in a RAN slicing framework for mmWaves, based on carrier aggregation. Notably, we introduce MilliSlice, a cross-carrier scheduling policy that exploits the diversity of the carriers and maximizes their utilization, thus simultaneously guaranteeing high throughput for the eMBB slices and low latency and high reliability for the URLLC flows.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures. Proc. of the 18th Mediterranean Communication and Computer Networking Conference (MedComNet 2020), Arona, Italy, 202

Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial Communication Networks for the Maritime Internet of Things: Key Technologies, Opportunities, and Challenges

With the rapid development of marine activities, there has been an increasing number of maritime mobile terminals, as well as a growing demand for high-speed and ultra-reliable maritime communications to keep them connected. Traditionally, the maritime Internet of Things (IoT) is enabled by maritime satellites. However, satellites are seriously restricted by their high latency and relatively low data rate. As an alternative, shore & island-based base stations (BSs) can be built to extend the coverage of terrestrial networks using fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and beyond 5G services. Unmanned aerial vehicles can also be exploited to serve as aerial maritime BSs. Despite of all these approaches, there are still open issues for an efficient maritime communication network (MCN). For example, due to the complicated electromagnetic propagation environment, the limited geometrically available BS sites, and rigorous service demands from mission-critical applications, conventional communication and networking theories and methods should be tailored for maritime scenarios. Towards this end, we provide a survey on the demand for maritime communications, the state-of-the-art MCNs, and key technologies for enhancing transmission efficiency, extending network coverage, and provisioning maritime-specific services. Future challenges in developing an environment-aware, service-driven, and integrated satellite-air-ground MCN to be smart enough to utilize external auxiliary information, e.g., sea state and atmosphere conditions, are also discussed