Beyond 5G URLLC Evolution: New Service Modes and Practical Considerations

Ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) arose to serve industrial IoT (IIoT) use cases within the 5G. Currently, it has inherent limitations to support future services. Based on state-of-the-art research and practical deployment experience, in this article, we introduce and advocate for three variants: broadband, scalable and extreme URLLC. We discuss use cases and key performance indicators and identify technology enablers for the new service modes. We bring practical considerations from the IIoT testbed and provide an outlook toward some new research directions.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Wireless Commun. Ma

Will SDN be part of 5G?

For many, this is no longer a valid question and the case is considered settled with SDN/NFV (Software Defined Networking/Network Function Virtualization) providing the inevitable innovation enablers solving many outstanding management issues regarding 5G. However, given the monumental task of softwarization of radio access network (RAN) while 5G is just around the corner and some companies have started unveiling their 5G equipment already, the concern is very realistic that we may only see some point solutions involving SDN technology instead of a fully SDN-enabled RAN. This survey paper identifies all important obstacles in the way and looks at the state of the art of the relevant solutions. This survey is different from the previous surveys on SDN-based RAN as it focuses on the salient problems and discusses solutions proposed within and outside SDN literature. Our main focus is on fronthaul, backward compatibility, supposedly disruptive nature of SDN deployment, business cases and monetization of SDN related upgrades, latency of general purpose processors (GPP), and additional security vulnerabilities, softwarization brings along to the RAN. We have also provided a summary of the architectural developments in SDN-based RAN landscape as not all work can be covered under the focused issues. This paper provides a comprehensive survey on the state of the art of SDN-based RAN and clearly points out the gaps in the technology.Comment: 33 pages, 10 figure

Sixth Generation (6G)Wireless Networks: Vision, Research Activities, Challenges and Potential Solutions

The standardization activities of the fifth generation communications are clearly over and deployment has commenced globally. To sustain the competitive edge of wireless networks, industrial and academia synergy have begun to conceptualize the next generation of wireless communication systems (namely, sixth generation, (6G)) aimed at laying the foundation for the stratification of the communication needs of the 2030s. In support of this vision, this study highlights the most promising lines of research from the recent literature in common directions for the 6G project. Its core contribution involves exploring the critical issues and key potential features of 6G communications, including: (i) vision and key features; (ii) challenges and potential solutions; and (iii) research activities. These controversial research topics were profoundly examined in relation to the motivation of their various sub-domains to achieve a precise, concrete, and concise conclusion. Thus, this article will contribute significantly to opening new horizons for future research direction

Valuation of 3G spectrum license in India: A real option approach

India is about to enter a new technological phase as far as mobile technology is concerned. After almost a decade of existence, Third Generation (3G) mobile technology will be rolled out in India. The licenses for the same were auctioned in April – May 2010 and 3G licenses were allocated to the winners in September 2010. Nine private telecom operators entered the bidding for the license and eventually seven won the licenses. The bidding was intense and eventually the aggregate fees of the license as received by the government were almost twice the expected amount. In the backdrop of experience of 3G auction winners in UK and Germany who paid huge sums to acquire the 3G licenses and later lost their market capitalization as the markets perceived that the price paid for the license was more than the actual value of the license, analysts in India were concerned if the operators had paid too much for the licenses. In this report aggregate value of the 3G licenses is calculated using both traditional discounted cash flow approach and real options approach. We find that the rollout of 3G services gives an internal rate of return of 14.2%over the life of the license. If we assume an internal rate of return of 15% for the telecom operators then the aggregate license value comes out to be INR 594 Billion which is 12% lower than what the operators have paid to acquire the license. We also found out that the value of the license as calculated from the real options methodology is INR 798 Billion which is 17.8% higher than the aggregate value paid by the operators. Hence we see that DCF valuation suggests that the licenses were overvalued while Real Options methodology suggests that the licenses were undervalued. The report discusses the reasons for differences between real option valuation and DCF valuation of the license, the possible challenges that the 3Goperators might face in the short to long term and what are the key enablers for the growth of3G services if they want to extract the maximum mileage out of the 3G technology. The report recommends that in future while allocating telecom licenses or licenses in sectors where high and irreversible investment is required and there is a scope for the licensees to invest in phases or in modules, the government should consider real options methodology for setting the price of the license., or the base price of the licenses in case the government decides to follow an auction methodology3G spectrum, mobile technology, valuation, real options, DCF

Trends in Standardization Towards 6G

Mobile networks have always been an indispensable part of a fully connected digital society. The industry and academia have joined hands to develop technologies for the anticipated future wireless communication. The predicted Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and use cases for the 6G networks have raised the bar high. 6G networks are developing to provide the required infrastructure for many new devices and services. The 6G networks are conceptualized to partially inherit 5G technologies and standards but they will open the ground for innovations. This study provides the vision and requirements for beyond 5G (B5G) networks and emphasizes our vision on the required standards to reach a fully functional and interoperable 6G era in general. We highlight various KPIs and enabling technologies for the B5G networks. In addition, standardization activities and initiatives concerning challenges in the se of spectrum are diuscussed in detail.This work was supported by FCT/MCTES through national funds and when applicable cofounded EU funds under the project UIDB/50008/2020, ORCIP (22141-01/SAICT/2016) and TeamUp5G. TeamUp5G has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie ETN TeamUp5G, grant agreement No. 813391.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Impact of regulatory aspects on 5G mobile communication systems

The fifth generation of mobile communication networks generally known as 5G is a technology that, if we read anything about it we can arrive to the conclusion that it can be a revolution in many aspects. Starting with the great change that the telephone introduced, followed by the great improvements that the mobile phones carried along with them and finally internet and broadband access from any part of the world with a pocket device, we arrive to a time where 5G not only will it improve the existing technologies but it will allow the development of new inventions such as Internet of Things (IoT) that up to the date is reduced to various experiments and trials. The fifth generation of mobile communication systems will allow the development of applications, data models, data analysis at very high speeds, sensor measurements, and data transmissions instantly and a very long list of other things that will result in a revolution in one hand for the people’s lives and in the other to the markets and the way the companies carry out their business models and their internal and external general management. People’s quality of life will be affected substantially thanks to the establishment of 5G. This will be achieved thanks to the high speeds and the characteristics that 5G includes, and it will allow, for example, that a refrigerator can inform its owner about what products are needed or about what food is about to expire. This simple example is only one of many others that we can find when talking about 5G. Nonetheless, in order to be able to enjoy these advantages that 5G incorporates, it is necessary to conduct a development and deployment in an agreed upon way between all the different organisms and bearing in mind the regulatory aspects and the legislation valid and that needs to be developed in order to have a correct deployment. To do this, the regulatory organisms, and the commissions of the different countries have to agree between them and investigate what is the best way to provide the best standards, and to ease and speed up the deployments and start-ups of this new technology. After developing a detail study of the current requirements, objectives and the legislation and standardization, as well as the state of art of the technologies that provide us with the services that we enjoy nowadays, I have studied the barriers and drivers for the deployment of 5G. Finally, and after this previous study, I have analysed the possible deployments for this technology and how will it affect to the economic and social environment the use of these types of mobile communications. At the same time I have arrived to the final conclusions that 5G will be a complete revolution and anything that enables and eases the implementation has to be welcome.La quinta generación de redes de telecomunicaciones móviles comúnmente conocida como 5G es una tecnología de la que, si leemos cualquier información, llegaremos a la conclusión de que puede suponer una revolución en muchos aspectos. Comenzando por el gran cambio que supuso la invención del teléfono, seguida por la evidente y alta mejora que introdujo el teléfono móvil y finalmente la conexión a internet y el acceso de banda ancha desde cualquier parte del mundo con un dispositivo de bolsillo, llegamos a un momento en el que el 5G no solo mejorará las tecnologías ya existentes sino que permitirá desarrollar ideas tales como el internet de las cosas que, a día de hoy, se reducen a, varios experimentos y pruebas. El 5G permitirá el desarrollo de aplicaciones, modelos de datos, análisis de datos a altas velocidades, lecturas de sensores y transmisión de datos de forma instantánea y una larga lista de mejoras más que resultará en una revolución por una parte de la vida de las personas y por otra de los mercados y de la forma en la que las empresas llevarán a cabo sus modelos de negocio y en general su gestión externa e interna. La calidad de vida de las personas se verá afectada de forma sustancial gracias a la implantación del 5G. Esto se conseguirá debido a que las altas velocidades y las características que incorpora el 5G permitirán que, por ejemplo, una nevera avise a su dueño de aquello que falte en su interior, o que le informe de aquellos productos que están a punto de caducar. Este simple ejemplo solo es uno de todos los posibles que se pueden encontrar a la hora de hablar del 5G. Sin embargo, para poder llegar a disfrutar de todas las ventajas que el 5G aporta, es necesario llevar a cabo un desarrollo y un despliegue de forma conjunta entre los diferentes organismos, y teniendo en cuenta la normativa y legislación vigente y que se necesita desarrollar, para que este despliegue sea correcto. Para ello, los organismos regulatorios y las comisiones de diferentes países, deben ponerse de acuerdo e investigar cuál será la mejor forma de proporcionar los mejores estándares y facilitar y acelerar los despliegues y puestas en marcha de esta nueva tecnología. Después de llevar a cabo un estudio detallado sobre los requisitos, objetivos y la normativa y estandarización actual, así como el estado del arte de las tecnologías que hoy nos proporcionan los servicios de los que disfrutamos, se han estudiado las barreras y los aspectos favorecedores para la implantación del 5G. Finalmente, y tras este previo estudio, se han detallado los posibles despliegues para esta tecnología y se ha estudiado como afectará al entorno económico y social la utilización de este tipo de redes de comunicaciones móviles. A su vez, se han llegado a las conclusiones finales de que el 5G supondrá toda una revolución, y que todo aquello que favorezca su despliegue e implantación, debe ser bienvenido.Ingeniería Telemátic

Fourth Generation Wireless Systems: Requirements and Challenges for the Next Frontier

Fourth generation wireless systems (4G) are likely to reach the consumer market in another 4-5 years. 4G comes with the promise of increased bandwidth, higher speeds, greater interoperability across communication protocols, and user friendly, innovative, and secure applications. In this article, I list the requirements of the 4G systems by considering the needs of the users in the future. These requirements can be met if technical and business challenges can be overcome. Technical challenges include mobility management, quality of service, interoperability, high data rate, security, survivability, spectrum, intelligent mobile devices, middleware, and network access. I discuss the most plausible solutions to these technical challenges in this paper. Business-related challenges include billing, payment methods, pricing, size of investments, content provision and mediation, and the trade-off between richness and reach. If these technical and business challenges can be met, then 4G will become the next frontier in data and voice communication infrastructure

M-Business: Economy Driver or a Mess?

Reports about mobile wireless technology in the media may be confusing. While we know that the telecommunication industry is in distress, we also observe a phenomenal, indeed unprecedented explosion of the use of mobile wireless devices and services all over the globe. This paper presents a balanced introduction to wireless technology including devices, mobile operating systems, and communication protocols. It discusses standardization efforts, technology evolution paths, and several new and potentially disruptive technologies, some still in the research stage. The paper lists leading global wireless service providers in terms of the number of domestic subscribers and presents an analysis of the six U.S. national operators including their strengths and weaknesses. Only four of them are profitable now. Although the consumer market currently dictates technology evolution, several examples of successful business applications of wireless mobile technology are presented. Finally, the question presented in the title is addressed