Quasi-orthogonal space-frequency coding in non-coherent cooperative broadband networks

© 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.So far, complex valued orthogonal codes have been used differentially in cooperative broadband networks. These codes however achieve less than unitary code rate when utilized in cooperative networks with more than two relays. Therefore, the main challenge is how to construct unitary rate codes for non-coherent cooperative broadband networks with more than two relays while exploiting the achievable spatial and frequency diversity. In this paper, we extend full rate quasi-orthogonal codes to differential cooperative broadband networks where channel information is unavailable. From this, we propose a generalized differential distributed quasi-orthogonal space-frequency coding (DQSFC) protocol for cooperative broadband networks. Our proposed scheme is able to achieve full rate, and full spatial and frequency diversity in cooperative networks with any number of relays. Through pairwise error probability analysis we show that the diversity gain of our scheme can be improved by appropriate code construction and sub-carrier allocation. Based on this, we derive sufficient conditions for the proposed code structure at the source node and relay nodes to achieve full spatial and frequency diversity.Peer reviewe

Investment Sharing in Broadband Networks

This paper presents a model of competition between an incumbent firm and an Other Licensed Operator (OLO) in the broadband market, where the incumbent has an investment option to build a Next Generation network (NGN) and it can do so by making an investment sharing agreement with the OLO, or alone. Two different kinds of investment sharing contractual forms are analysed, a basic investment sharing, where no side-payment is given for the use of the NGN between co-investors, and joint-venture, where a side-payment is set by the co-investing firms. Results show that investment sharing can potentially be beneficial in terms of competition and investments, but the number of firms involved matters and so does the choice of the NGN access price, for insiders and outsiders of the agreement. Even when the presence of firms outside of the agreement force insiders to compete more fiercely, there might be a concern with the potential exclusion of the outsiders from the NGN

The impact of inter-platform competition on the economic viability of municipal fiber networks

Local authorities investing in fiber broadband networks must meet the market investor principle. We apply a game theoretic approach to model the impact of inter-platform competition on the viability of the fiber business case

Germany's broadband networks - innovation on hold

The market for information and communication technologies is changing rapidly. Products and applications that used to be completely separate are becoming almost interchangeable. Sweeping change lies ahead in voice and data telephony: the fixed-line telephone network faces new competition from innovative technologies. In this report we concentrate on analysing the economic potential of TV-cable and powerline networks as internet-access media, and discuss the prospects for the communications market. Besides looking into the technological developments, we examine the market relevance of existing ownership and competitive structures.ICT, cable, Germany, Broadband

Wireless Power Charging Control in Multiuser Broadband Networks

Recent advances in wireless power transfer (WPT) technology provide a cost-effective solution to charge wireless devices remotely without disruption to the use. In this paper, we propose an efficient wireless charging control method for exploiting the frequency diversity in multiuser broadband wireless networks, to reduce energy outage and keep the system operating in an efficient and sustainable state. In particular, we first analyze the impact of charging control method to the operating lifetime of a WPT-enabled broadband system. Based on the analysis, we then propose a multi-criteria charging control policy that optimizes the transmit power allocation over frequency by jointly considering the channel state information (CSI) and the battery state information (BSI) of wireless devices. For practical implementation, the proposed scheme is realized by a novel limited CSI estimation mechanism embedded with partial BSI, which significantly reduces the energy cost of CSI and BSI feedback. Simulation results show that the proposed method could significantly increase the network lifetime under stringent transmit power constraint. Reciprocally, it also consumes lower transmit power to achieve near-perpetual network operation than other single-criterion based charging control methods.Comment: This paper had been accepted by IEEE ICC 2015, Workshop on Green Communications and Networks with Energy Harvesting, Smart Grids, and Renewable Energie

The relationship between local loop unbundling and the deployment of alternative broadband networks: An empirical analysis

This paper means to add to empirical research on the impact of local loop unbundling (LLU) on broadband networks. In particular, it focuses on broadband investment made by entrants. Starting from late Nineties telecommunications incumbents of several European Union countries have been required to unbundle their local loops. While there is a general consensus on the negative or null impact of unbundling obligations on incumbents' investment, research on the relationship between LLU and new entrants' investment, albeit growing, has not yet reached a coherent body of results. We have tested two propositions. First, service-based entry, which relies on LLU, paves the way to new entrants' subsequent investment in broadband systems (i.e. ladder of investment theory). Second, the price charged for local loop should increase over time in order to have a significant investment in alternative platforms (i.e. the transitory entry assistance theory). The empirical analysis is carried out on a sample of 27 European countries (2002-2009 period). We have collected country-level data on broadband lines and LLU policy indicators. The preliminary results suggest that service-based entry does not lead entrants to a subsequent facility-based entry, casting some doubts on the ladder of investment theory. The short ladder version of the theory has received confirmation instead. At the same time, an increasing price of local loop is not found to stimulate the entrants' investment in alternative broadband networks. --investment,competition,access regulation,broadband networks,unbundling local loop

The broadband debate: A documentary research on the broadband policy in Australia

Against a current trend of investing in the next generation networks (NGNs) by using public funds, the Australian government has recently initiated a so-called National Broadband Networks (NBN) project to invest up to AUD$36 billion tax payer's money on building a national wide fibre broadband network aiming to cover 93 per cent Australian by 2020. As being the most costly infrastructure-building project in Australian history, the NBN project will use a public-private-partnership as the instrument to deliver super-fast broadband services, create jobs and promote the country's economy at large. This article will critically analyse the NBN project in Australia and highlight the challenges that are coming alone at this early stage of the deployment, so the Australia's experience of pubic investment in broadband networks can be shared and lessons can be learned. --

Metrics for Broadband Networks in the Context of the Digital Economies

In a transition to automated digital management of broadband networks, communication service providers must look for new metrics to monitor these networks. Complete metrics frameworks are already emerging whereas majority of the new metrics are being proposed in technical papers. Considering common metrics for broadband networks and related technologies, this chapter offers insights into what metrics are available, and also suggests active areas of research. The broadband networks being a key component of the digital ecosystems are also an enabler to many other digital technologies and services. Reviewing first the metrics for computing systems, websites and digital platforms, the chapter focus then shifts to the most important technical and business metrics which are used for broadband networks. The demand-side and supply-side metrics including the key metrics of broadband speed and broadband availability are touched on. After outlining the broadband metrics which have been standardized and the metrics for measuring Internet traffic, the most commonly used metrics for broadband networks are surveyed in five categories: energy and power metrics, quality of service, quality of experience, security metrics, and robustness and resilience metrics. The chapter concludes with a discussion on machine learning, big data and the associated metrics