Fixed-Mobile Convergence in the 5G era: From Hybrid Access to Converged Core

The availability of different paths to communicate to a user or device introduces several benefits, from boosting enduser performance to improving network utilization. Hybrid access is a first step in enabling convergence of mobile and fixed networks, however, despite traffic optimization, this approach is limited as fixed and mobile are still two separate core networks inter-connected through an aggregation point. On the road to 5G networks, the design trend is moving towards an aggregated network, where different access technologies share a common anchor point in the core. This enables further network optimization in addition to hybrid access, examples are userspecific policies for aggregation and improved traffic balancing across different accesses according to user, network, and service context. This paper aims to discuss the ongoing work around hybrid access and network convergence by Broadband Forum and 3GPP. We present some testbed results on hybrid access and analyze some primary performance indicators such as achievable data rates, link utilization for aggregated traffic and session setup latency. We finally discuss the future directions for network convergence to enable future scenarios with enhanced configuration capabilities for fixed and mobile convergence.Comment: to appear in IEEE Networ

Comparative analysis of routing protocols over WiMAX

Mobile WiMAX is a fast growing broadband access technology that enables low-cost mobile Internet applications, and realizes the convergence of mobile and fixed broadband access in single air interface and network architecture. Mobile WiMAX combines Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and advanced multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) schemes along with flexible bandwidth and fast link adaptation, creating a highly efficient air interface that exceeds the capacity of existing and evolving 3G radio access networks. WiMAX networks, built on all-IP network architecture for plug and play network deployments, can support a mix of different usage and service models. However, the End-to-End delay occurs in delivering massage for dynamic WiMAX environment. In this paper, End-To-End delay performance of the Mobile WIMAX has been studied in different situations using QulNet on two routing protocol namely Dynamic Manet on Demand (DYMO) routing Protocol and Optimized Link State (OLSR) Routing Protocol. The result shows that DYMO protocols outperform 79.5% in End to End delay better than OLSR

The MobyDick Project: A Mobile Heterogeneous All-IP Architecture

Proceedings of Advanced Technologies, Applications and Market Strategies for 3G (ATAMS 2001). Cracow, Poland: 17-20 June, 2001.This paper presents the current stage of an IP-based architecture for heterogeneous environments, covering UMTS-like W-CDMA wireless access technology, wireless and wired LANs, that is being developed under the aegis of the IST Moby Dick project. This architecture treats all transmission capabilities as basic physical and data-link layers, and attempts to replace all higher-level tasks by IP-based strategies. The proposed architecture incorporates aspects of mobile-IPv6, fast handover, AAA-control, and Quality of Service. The architecture allows for an optimised control on the radio link layer resources. The Moby dick architecture is currently under refinement for implementation on field trials. The services planned for trials are data transfer and voice-over-IP.Publicad

Access and metro network convergence for flexible end-to-end network design

This paper reports on the architectural, protocol, physical layer, and integrated testbed demonstrations carried out by the DISCUS FP7 consortium in the area of access - metro network convergence. Our architecture modeling results show the vast potential for cost and power savings that node consolidation can bring. The architecture, however, also recognizes the limits of long-reach transmission for low-latency 5G services and proposes ways to address such shortcomings in future projects. The testbed results, which have been conducted end-to-end, across access - metro and core, and have targeted all the layers of the network from the application down to the physical layer, show the practical feasibility of the concepts proposed in the project

Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation in Heterogeneous OFDMA-PONs Featuring Intelligent LTE-A Traffic Queuing

This work was supported by the ACCORDANCE project, through the 7th ICT Framework Programme. This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Lightwave Technology following peer review. © 2014 IEEE Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.A heterogeneous, optical/wireless dynamic bandwidth allocation framework is presented, exhibiting intelligent traffic queuing for practically controlling the quality-of-service (QoS) of mobile traffic, backhauled via orthogonal frequency division multiple access–PON (OFDMA-PON) networks. A converged data link layer is presented between long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A) and next-generation passive optical network (NGPON) topologies, extending beyond NGPON2. This is achieved by incorporating in a new protocol design, consistent mapping of LTE-A QCIs and OFDMA-PON queues. Novel inter-ONU algorithms have been developed, based on the distribution of weights to allocate subcarriers to both enhanced node B/optical network units (eNB/ONUs) and residential ONUs, sharing the same infrastructure. A weighted, intra-ONU scheduling mechanism is also introduced to control further the QoS across the network load. The inter and intra-ONU algorithms are both dynamic and adaptive, providing customized solutions to bandwidth allocation for different priority queues at different network traffic loads exhibiting practical fairness in bandwidth distribution. Therefore, middle and low priority packets are not unjustifiably deprived in favor of high priority packets at low network traffic loads. Still the protocol adaptability allows the high priority queues to automatically over perform when the traffic load has increased and the available bandwidth needs to be rationally redistributed. Computer simulations have confirmed that following the application of adaptive weights the fairness index of the new scheme (representing the achieved throughput for each queue), has improved across the traffic load to above 0.9. Packet delay reduction of more than 40ms has been recorded as a result for the low priority queues, while high priories still achieve sufficiently low packet delays in the range of 20 to 30msPeer reviewe

Multicast Mobility in Mobile IP Version 6 (MIPv6) : Problem Statement and Brief Survey

Publisher PD