Physical Layer Service Integration in 5G: Potentials and Challenges

High transmission rate and secure communication have been identified as the key targets that need to be effectively addressed by fifth generation (5G) wireless systems. In this context, the concept of physical-layer security becomes attractive, as it can establish perfect security using only the characteristics of wireless medium. Nonetheless, to further increase the spectral efficiency, an emerging concept, termed physical-layer service integration (PHY-SI), has been recognized as an effective means. Its basic idea is to combine multiple coexisting services, i.e., multicast/broadcast service and confidential service, into one integral service for one-time transmission at the transmitter side. This article first provides a tutorial on typical PHY-SI models. Furthermore, we propose some state-of-the-art solutions to improve the overall performance of PHY-SI in certain important communication scenarios. In particular, we highlight the extension of several concepts borrowed from conventional single-service communications, such as artificial noise (AN), eigenmode transmission etc., to the scenario of PHY-SI. These techniques are shown to be effective in the design of reliable and robust PHY-SI schemes. Finally, several potential research directions are identified for future work.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Multicast Scheduling and Resource Allocation Algorithms for OFDMA-Based Systems: A Survey

Multicasting is emerging as an enabling technology for multimedia transmissions over wireless networks to support several groups of users with flexible quality of service (QoS)requirements. Although multicast has huge potential to push the limits of next generation communication systems; it is however one of the most challenging issues currently being addressed. In this survey, we explain multicast group formation and various forms of group rate determination approaches. We also provide a systematic review of recent channel-aware multicast scheduling and resource allocation (MSRA) techniques proposed for downlink multicast services in OFDMA based systems. We study these enabling algorithms, evaluate their core characteristics, limitations and classify them using multidimensional matrix. We cohesively review the algorithms in terms of their throughput maximization, fairness considerations, performance complexities, multi-antenna support, optimality and simplifying assumptions. We discuss existing standards employing multicasting and further highlight some potential research opportunities in multicast systems

On the Non-Orthogonal Layered Broadcast Codes in Cooperative Wireless Networks

A multi-fold increase in spectral efficiency and throughput are envisioned in the fifth generation of cellular networks to meet the requirements of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) IMT-2020 on massive connectivity and tremendous data traffic. This is achieved by evolution in three aspects of current networks. The first aspect is shrinking the cell sizes and deploying dense picocells and femtocells to boost the spectral reuse. The second is to allocate more spectrum resources including millimeter-wave bands. The third is deploying highly efficient communications and multiple access techniques. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is a promising communication technique that complements the current commercial spectrum access approach to boost the spectral efficiency, where different data streams/users’ data share the same time, frequency and code resource blocks (sub-bands) via superimposition with each other. The receivers decode their own messages by deploying the successive interference cancellation (SIC) decoding rule. It is known that the NOMA coding is superior to conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) coding, where the resources are split among the users in either time or frequency domain. The NOMA based coding has been incorporated into other coding techniques including multi-input multi-output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), cognitive radio and cooperative techniques. In cooperative NOMA codes, either dedicated relay stations or stronger users with better channel conditions, act as relay to leverage the spatial diversity and to boost the performance of the other users. The advantage of spatial diversity gain in relay-based NOMA codes, is deployed to extend the coverage area of the network, to mitigate the fading effect of multipath channel and to increase the system throughput, hence improving the system efficiency. In this dissertation we consider the multimedia content delivery and machine type communications over 5G networks, where scalable content and low complexity encoders is of interest. We propose cross-layer design for transmission of successive refinement (SR) source code interplayed with non-orthogonal layered broadcast code for deployment in several cooperative network architectures. Firstly, we consider a multi-relay coding scheme where a source node is assisted by a half-duplex multi-relay non-orthogonal amplify-forward (NAF) network to communicate with a destination node. Assuming the channel state information (CSI) is not available at the source node, the achievable layered diversity multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) curve is derived. Then, by taking distortion exponent (DE) as the figure of merit, several achievable lower bounds are proved, and the optimal expected distortion performance under high signal to noise ratio (SNR) approximation is explicitly obtained. It is shown that the proposed coding can achieve the multi-input single-output (MISO) upper bound under certain regions of bandwidth ratios, by which the optimal performance in these regions can be explicitly characterized. Further the non-orthogonal layered coding scheme is extended to a multi-hop MIMO decode-forward (DF) relay network where a set of DE lower bounds is derived. Secondly, we propose a layered cooperative multi-user scheme based on non-orthogonal amplify-forward (NAF) relaying and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) codes, aiming to achieve multi-user uplink transmissions with low complexity and low signaling overhead, particularly applicable to the machine type communications (MTC) and internet of things (IoT) systems. By assuming no CSI available at the transmitting nodes, the proposed layered codes make the transmission rate of each user adaptive to the channel realization. We derive the close-form analytical results on outage probability and the DMT curve of the proposed layered NAF codes in the asymptotic regime of high SNR, and optimize the end-to-end performance in terms of the exponential decay rate of expected distortion. Thirdly, we consider a single relay network and study the non-orthogonal layered scheme in the general SNR regime. A layered relaying scheme based on compress-forward (CF) is introduced, where optimization of end to end performance in terms of expected distortion is conducted to jointly determine network parameters. We further derive the explicit analytical optimal solution with two layers in the absence of channel knowledge. Finally, we consider the problem of multicast of multi-resolution layered messages over downlink of a cellular system with the assumption of CSI is not available at the base station (BS). Without loss generality, spatially random users are divided into two groups, where the near group users with better channel conditions decode for both layers, while the users in the second group decode for base layer only. Once the BS launches a multicast message, the first group users who successfully decoded the message, deploy a distributed cooperating scheme to assist the transmission to the other users. The cooperative scheme is naive but we will prove it can effectively enhance the network capacity. Closed form outage probability is explicitly derived for the two groups of users. Further it is shown that diversity order equal to the number of users in the near group is achievable, hence the coding gain of the proposed distributed scheme fully compensate the lack of CSI at the BS in terms of diversity order

Safety on the roads: LTE alternatives for sending ITS messages

© © 2015 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.This article discusses different alternatives for sending intelligent transportation systems (ITS) messages using long-term evolution (LTE) networks. Specifically, it compares the unicast and evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (eMBMS) transmission modes by means of system-level simulations and a cost modeling analysis. The optimum configuration of the eMBMS carrier is studied for the case of ITS services. This article also includes some recommendations on the configuration of the ITS server in charge of distributing safety messages as well as on its interaction with the mobile network operator (MNO). The results show that eMBMS is significantly more efficient in terms of resource consumption than the unicast mode, implying an important reduction of the delivery costs.Calabuig Gaspar, J.; Monserrat Del Río, JF.; Gozálvez, D.; Klemp, O. (2014). Safety on the roads: LTE alternatives for sending ITS messages. IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine. 9(4):61-70. doi:10.1109/MVT.2014.2362272S61709

Content delivery over multi-antenna wireless networks

The past few decades have witnessed unprecedented advances in information technology, which have significantly shaped the way we acquire and process information in our daily lives. Wireless communications has become the main means of access to data through mobile devices, resulting in a continuous exponential growth in wireless data traffic, mainly driven by the demand for high quality content. Various technologies have been proposed by researchers to tackle this growth in 5G and beyond, including the use of increasing number of antenna elements, integrated point-to-multipoint delivery and caching, which constitute the core of this thesis. In particular, we study non-orthogonal content delivery in multiuser multiple-input-single-output (MISO) systems. First, a joint beamforming strategy for simultaneous delivery of broadcast and unicast services is investigated, based on layered division multiplexing (LDM) as a means of superposition coding. The system performance in terms of minimum required power under prescribed quality-of-service (QoS) requirements is examined in comparison with time division multiplexing (TDM). It is demonstrated through simulations that the non-orthogonal delivery strategy based on LDM significantly outperforms the orthogonal strategy based on TDM in terms of system throughput and reliability. To facilitate efficient implementation of the LDM-based beamforming design, we further propose a dual decomposition-based distributed approach. Next, we study an efficient multicast beamforming design in cache-aided multiuser MISO systems, exploiting proactive content placement and coded delivery. It is observed that the complexity of this problem grows exponentially with the number of subfiles delivered to each user in each time slot, which itself grows exponentially with the number of users in the system. Therefore, we propose a low-complexity alternative through time-sharing that limits the number of subfiles that can be received by a user in each time slot. Moreover, a joint design of content delivery and multicast beamforming is proposed to further enhance the system performance, under the constraint on maximum number of subfiles each user can decode in each time slot. Finally, conclusions are drawn in Chapter 5, followed by an outlook for future works.Open Acces

Direct communication radio Iinterface for new radio multicasting and cooperative positioning

Cotutela: Universidad de defensa UNIVERSITA’ MEDITERRANEA DI REGGIO CALABRIARecently, the popularity of Millimeter Wave (mmWave) wireless networks has increased due to their capability to cope with the escalation of mobile data demands caused by the unprecedented proliferation of smart devices in the fifth-generation (5G). Extremely high frequency or mmWave band is a fundamental pillar in the provision of the expected gigabit data rates. Hence, according to both academic and industrial communities, mmWave technology, e.g., 5G New Radio (NR) and WiGig (60 GHz), is considered as one of the main components of 5G and beyond networks. Particularly, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) provides for the use of licensed mmWave sub-bands for the 5G mmWave cellular networks, whereas IEEE actively explores the unlicensed band at 60 GHz for the next-generation wireless local area networks. In this regard, mmWave has been envisaged as a new technology layout for real-time heavy-traffic and wearable applications. This very work is devoted to solving the problem of mmWave band communication system while enhancing its advantages through utilizing the direct communication radio interface for NR multicasting, cooperative positioning, and mission-critical applications. The main contributions presented in this work include: (i) a set of mathematical frameworks and simulation tools to characterize multicast traffic delivery in mmWave directional systems; (ii) sidelink relaying concept exploitation to deal with the channel condition deterioration of dynamic multicast systems and to ensure mission-critical and ultra-reliable low-latency communications; (iii) cooperative positioning techniques analysis for enhancing cellular positioning accuracy for 5G+ emerging applications that require not only improved communication characteristics but also precise localization. Our study indicates the need for additional mechanisms/research that can be utilized: (i) to further improve multicasting performance in 5G/6G systems; (ii) to investigate sideline aspects, including, but not limited to, standardization perspective and the next relay selection strategies; and (iii) to design cooperative positioning systems based on Device-to-Device (D2D) technology

Separation Framework: An Enabler for Cooperative and D2D Communication for Future 5G Networks

Soaring capacity and coverage demands dictate that future cellular networks need to soon migrate towards ultra-dense networks. However, network densification comes with a host of challenges that include compromised energy efficiency, complex interference management, cumbersome mobility management, burdensome signaling overheads and higher backhaul costs. Interestingly, most of the problems, that beleaguer network densification, stem from legacy networks' one common feature i.e., tight coupling between the control and data planes regardless of their degree of heterogeneity and cell density. Consequently, in wake of 5G, control and data planes separation architecture (SARC) has recently been conceived as a promising paradigm that has potential to address most of aforementioned challenges. In this article, we review various proposals that have been presented in literature so far to enable SARC. More specifically, we analyze how and to what degree various SARC proposals address the four main challenges in network densification namely: energy efficiency, system level capacity maximization, interference management and mobility management. We then focus on two salient features of future cellular networks that have not yet been adapted in legacy networks at wide scale and thus remain a hallmark of 5G, i.e., coordinated multipoint (CoMP), and device-to-device (D2D) communications. After providing necessary background on CoMP and D2D, we analyze how SARC can particularly act as a major enabler for CoMP and D2D in context of 5G. This article thus serves as both a tutorial as well as an up to date survey on SARC, CoMP and D2D. Most importantly, the article provides an extensive outlook of challenges and opportunities that lie at the crossroads of these three mutually entangled emerging technologies.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures, IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials 201

SAI: safety application identifier algorithm at MAC layer for vehicular safety message dissemination over LTE VANET networks

Vehicular safety applications have much significance in preventing road accidents and fatalities. Among others, cellular networks have been under investigation for the procurement of these applications subject to stringent requirements for latency, transmission parameters, and successful delivery of messages. Earlier contributions have studied utilization of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) under single cell, Friis radio, or simplified higher layer. In this paper, we study the utilization of LTE under multicell and multipath fading environment and introduce the use of adaptive awareness range. Then, we propose an algorithm that uses the concept of quality of service (QoS) class identifiers (QCIs) along with dynamic adaptive awareness range. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of background traffic on the proposed algorithm. Finally, we utilize medium access control (MAC) layer elements in order to fulfill vehicular application requirements through extensive system-level simulations. The results show that, by using an awareness range of up to 250 m, the LTE system is capable of fulfilling the safety application requirements for up to 10 beacons/s with 150 vehicles in an area of 2 × 2 km2. The urban vehicular radio environment has a significant impact and decreases the probability for end-to-end delay to be ≤100 ms from 93%–97% to 76%–78% compared to the Friis radio environment. The proposed algorithm reduces the amount of vehicular application traffic from 21 Mbps to 13 Mbps, while improving the probability of end-to-end delay being ≤100 ms by 20%. Lastly, use of MAC layer control elements brings the processing of messages towards the edge of network increasing capacity of the system by about 50%