A tutorial on the characterisation and modelling of low layer functional splits for flexible radio access networks in 5G and beyond

The centralization of baseband (BB) functions in a radio access network (RAN) towards data processing centres is receiving increasing interest as it enables the exploitation of resource pooling and statistical multiplexing gains among multiple cells, facilitates the introduction of collaborative techniques for different functions (e.g., interference coordination), and more efficiently handles the complex requirements of advanced features of the fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) physical layer, such as the use of massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO). However, deciding the functional split (i.e., which BB functions are kept close to the radio units and which BB functions are centralized) embraces a trade-off between the centralization benefits and the fronthaul costs for carrying data between distributed antennas and data processing centres. Substantial research efforts have been made in standardization fora, research projects and studies to resolve this trade-off, which becomes more complicated when the choice of functional splits is dynamically achieved depending on the current conditions in the RAN. This paper presents a comprehensive tutorial on the characterisation, modelling and assessment of functional splits in a flexible RAN to establish a solid basis for the future development of algorithmic solutions of dynamic functional split optimisation in 5G and beyond systems. First, the paper explores the functional split approaches considered by different industrial fora, analysing their equivalences and differences in terminology. Second, the paper presents a harmonized analysis of the different BB functions at the physical layer and associated algorithmic solutions presented in the literature, assessing both the computational complexity and the associated performance. Based on this analysis, the paper presents a model for assessing the computational requirements and fronthaul bandwidth requirements of different functional splits. Last, the model is used to derive illustrative results that identify the major trade-offs that arise when selecting a functional split and the key elements that impact the requirements.This work has been partially funded by Huawei Technologies. Work by X. Gelabert and B. Klaiqi is partially funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (HORIZON-MSCA-2021-DN-0) under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101073265. Work by J. Perez-Romero and O. Sallent is also partially funded by the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreements No. 101096034 (VERGE project) and No. 101097083 (BeGREEN project) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 under ARTIST project (ref. PID2020-115104RB-I00). This last project has also funded the work by D. Campoy.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Next-generation High-Capacity Communications with High Flexibility, Efficiency, and Reliability

The objective of this dissertation is to address the flexibility, efficiency and reliability in high-capacity heterogeneous communication systems. We will experimentally investigate the shaping techniques, and further extend them to more diverse and complicated scenarios, which result in more flexible systems. The scenarios include 1) entropy allocation scheme under uneven frequency response for multi-carrier system, 2) fiber-free space optics link using unipolar pairwise distribution, and 3) flexible rate passive optical network with a wide range of received optical powers. Next, we perform efficiency analysis in inter-data center and long-haul communications. We will characterize the impact of the laser linewidth, jitter tones, and the flicker noise on coherent systems with different baud rates and fiber lengths through theoretical analysis, simulation, and experimental validation. The trade-off analysis indicates the importance of setting up frequency noise power spectral density masks to qualify the transceiver laser design. Besides efficiency analysis, we will also work on efficient system architecture and algorithm design. We investigate the combined impact of various hardware impairments using proposed simplified DSP schemes in beyond 800G self-homodyne coherent system. The proposed scheme is very promising for next-generation intra-data center applications. On the other hand, to improve the data efficiency of the nonlinearity correction algorithm in broadband communication systems, we leverage the semi-supervised method and Lasso. Experimental results validate that Lasso can reduce the required pilot symbol number by exploiting the sparsity of the tap coefficients. Semi-supervised method can further enhance the system performance without introducing additional overhead. Last but not least, regarding reliability, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an ultra-reliable integrated millimeter wave and free space optics analog radio over fiber system with algorithm design. The multiple-spectra operation shows superior performance in reliability and sensitivity compared to the conventional systems, even in extreme weather conditions and strong burst interference.Ph.D

Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2018, nr 3

kwartalni

Peak to average power ratio reduction and error control in MIMO-OFDM HARQ System

Currently, multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMOOFDM) systems underlie crucial wireless communication systems such as commercial 4G and 5G networks, tactical communication, and interoperable Public Safety communications. However, one drawback arising from OFDM modulation is its resulting high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). This problem increases with an increase in the number of transmit antennas. In this work, a new hybrid PAPR reduction technique is proposed for space-time block coding (STBC) MIMO-OFDM systems that combine the coding capabilities to PAPR reduction methods, while leveraging the new degree of freedom provided by the presence of multiple transmit chairs (MIMO). In the first part, we presented an extensive literature review of PAPR reduction techniques for OFDM and MIMO-OFDM systems. The work developed a PAPR reduction technique taxonomy, and analyzed the motivations for reducing the PAPR in current communication systems, emphasizing two important motivations such as power savings and coverage gain. In the tax onomy presented here, we include a new category, namely, hybrid techniques. Additionally, we drew a conclusion regarding the importance of hybrid PAPR reduction techniques. In the second part, we studied the effect of forward error correction (FEC) codes on the PAPR for the coded OFDM (COFDM) system. We simulated and compared the CCDF of the PAPR and its relationship with the autocorrelation of the COFDM signal before the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block. This allows to conclude on the main characteristics of the codes that generate high peaks in the COFDM signal, and therefore, the optimal parameters in order to reduce PAPR. We emphasize our study in FEC codes as linear block codes, and convolutional codes. Finally, we proposed a new hybrid PAPR reduction technique for an STBC MIMO-OFDM system, in which the convolutional code is optimized to avoid PAPR degradation, which also combines successive suboptimal cross-antenna rotation and inversion (SS-CARI) and iterative modified companding and filtering schemes. The new method permits to obtain a significant net gain for the system, i.e., considerable PAPR reduction, bit error rate (BER) gain as compared to the basic MIMO-OFDM system, low complexity, and reduced spectral splatter. The new hybrid technique was extensively evaluated by simulation, and the complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF), the BER, and the power spectral density (PSD) were compared to the original STBC MIMO-OFDM signal