1,242 research outputs found
Massive MIMO is a Reality -- What is Next? Five Promising Research Directions for Antenna Arrays
Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) is no longer a "wild" or
"promising" concept for future cellular networks - in 2018 it became a reality.
Base stations (BSs) with 64 fully digital transceiver chains were commercially
deployed in several countries, the key ingredients of Massive MIMO have made it
into the 5G standard, the signal processing methods required to achieve
unprecedented spectral efficiency have been developed, and the limitation due
to pilot contamination has been resolved. Even the development of fully digital
Massive MIMO arrays for mmWave frequencies - once viewed prohibitively
complicated and costly - is well underway. In a few years, Massive MIMO with
fully digital transceivers will be a mainstream feature at both sub-6 GHz and
mmWave frequencies. In this paper, we explain how the first chapter of the
Massive MIMO research saga has come to an end, while the story has just begun.
The coming wide-scale deployment of BSs with massive antenna arrays opens the
door to a brand new world where spatial processing capabilities are
omnipresent. In addition to mobile broadband services, the antennas can be used
for other communication applications, such as low-power machine-type or
ultra-reliable communications, as well as non-communication applications such
as radar, sensing and positioning. We outline five new Massive MIMO related
research directions: Extremely large aperture arrays, Holographic Massive MIMO,
Six-dimensional positioning, Large-scale MIMO radar, and Intelligent Massive
MIMO.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Digital Signal Processin
5G Mobile Phone Network Introduction in Colombia
This research received support from the AUIP (Iberoamerican University Association for
Postgraduate Studies).The authors would like to thank the following members of Ericsson and Nokia
Company for their valuable technological support in relation to the deployment of 5G networks in
Colombia and Latin America. To Ericsson Company: Fabian Monge, Head of Networks & Managed
Services Sales LATAM North—Ericsson, Andrés Quintero Arango, Country Manager Colombia—
Ericsson, Camilo Beltrán, RAN Sales Domain Manager—Ericsson, Tatiana Dimian, Technical &
Solution Sales Colombia—Ericsson. To Nokia Company: Juan Gabriel Mariño Pedroza, Presales
Director & Business Development Colombia—Nokia.The deployment of the 5G mobile network is currently booming, offering commercially
available services that improve network performance metrics by minimizing network latency in
countries such as the USA, China, and Korea. However, many countries around the world are still in
the pilot phase promoted and regulated by government agencies. This is the case in Colombia, where
the assignment of the first 5G band is planned for the third quarter of 2021. By analyzing the results
of the pilot phase and the roadmap of the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communication
Technologies (MinTIC), we can determine the main issues, which contribute to the deployment of
5G mobile technology as well as the plans to achieve a 5G stand-alone network from 4G networks.
This is applicable to other countries in Latin America and the world. Then, our objective is to
synthesize and share the most important concepts of 5G mobile technology such as the MIMO
(multiple input/multiple output) antenna, RAN (Radio Access Network), C-RAN (Centralised-RAN),
and frequency bands, and evaluate the current stage of its introduction in Colombia.AUIP (Iberoamerican University Association for
Postgraduate Studies
Experimental Demonstration of mm-Wave 5G NR Photonic Beamforming Based on ORRs and Multicore Fiber
[EN] A photonic beamformer system designed for nextgeneration 5G new radio (5G NR) operating in the millimeter waveband is proposed and demonstrated experimentally, including its performance characterization. The photonic beamforming device is based on optical ring resonators (ORRs) implemented on Si3N4 and assisted with multicore fiber (MCF) to feed different antenna elements (AEs). Fast-switching configuration of the ORRs is performed changing the operating wavelength, as tuning the wavelength modifies the coupling coefficient of the rings and, consequently, the induced time delay.
Multibeam operation is evaluated at 17.6- and 26-GHz radio keeping the ORRs¿ configuration. The beamforming performance is evaluated using single-carrier signals with up to 128 quadrature amplitude modulation over up to 4.2-GHz electrical bandwidth. The experimental beamforming system with two AEs provides up to 21 Gb/s per user, while the beamforming system with four AEs provides up to 16.8 Gb/s per user. Wireless transmission confirms that changing the wavelength from 1545.200 to 1545.195 nm modifies the beam steering from 11.3° to 23° with 26-GHz signals (5G NR pioneer band in Europe).This work was supported in part by the Fundacion BBVA Leonardo HYPERCONN Project, in part by the Spain National Plan under Grant MINECO/FEDER UE TEC2015-70858-C2-1-R XCORE and Grant GVA AICO/2018/324 NXTIC, and in part by the Dutch FreeBEAM projects. The work of M. Morant was supported by Spain Juan de la Cierva under Grant IJCI-2016-27578. The work of A. Trinidad was supported by Dutch NWO Zwaartekracht Integrated Nanophotonics.Morant, M.; Trinidad, A.; Tangdiongga, E.; Koonen, T.; Llorente, R. (2019). Experimental Demonstration of mm-Wave 5G NR Photonic Beamforming Based on ORRs and Multicore Fiber. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques. 67(7):2928-2935. https://doi.org/10.1109/TMTT.2019.28944022928293567
Long-Range Communications in Unlicensed Bands: the Rising Stars in the IoT and Smart City Scenarios
Connectivity is probably the most basic building block of the Internet of
Things (IoT) paradigm. Up to know, the two main approaches to provide data
access to the \emph{things} have been based either on multi-hop mesh networks
using short-range communication technologies in the unlicensed spectrum, or on
long-range, legacy cellular technologies, mainly 2G/GSM, operating in the
corresponding licensed frequency bands. Recently, these reference models have
been challenged by a new type of wireless connectivity, characterized by
low-rate, long-range transmission technologies in the unlicensed sub-GHz
frequency bands, used to realize access networks with star topology which are
referred to a \emph{Low-Power Wide Area Networks} (LPWANs). In this paper, we
introduce this new approach to provide connectivity in the IoT scenario,
discussing its advantages over the established paradigms in terms of
efficiency, effectiveness, and architectural design, in particular for the
typical Smart Cities applications
A Survey on Cellular-connected UAVs: Design Challenges, Enabling 5G/B5G Innovations, and Experimental Advancements
As an emerging field of aerial robotics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have
gained significant research interest within the wireless networking research
community. As soon as national legislations allow UAVs to fly autonomously, we
will see swarms of UAV populating the sky of our smart cities to accomplish
different missions: parcel delivery, infrastructure monitoring, event filming,
surveillance, tracking, etc. The UAV ecosystem can benefit from existing 5G/B5G
cellular networks, which can be exploited in different ways to enhance UAV
communications. Because of the inherent characteristics of UAV pertaining to
flexible mobility in 3D space, autonomous operation and intelligent placement,
these smart devices cater to wide range of wireless applications and use cases.
This work aims at presenting an in-depth exploration of integration synergies
between 5G/B5G cellular systems and UAV technology, where the UAV is integrated
as a new aerial User Equipment (UE) to existing cellular networks. In this
integration, the UAVs perform the role of flying users within cellular
coverage, thus they are termed as cellular-connected UAVs (a.k.a. UAV-UE,
drone-UE, 5G-connected drone, or aerial user). The main focus of this work is
to present an extensive study of integration challenges along with key 5G/B5G
technological innovations and ongoing efforts in design prototyping and field
trials corroborating cellular-connected UAVs. This study highlights recent
progress updates with respect to 3GPP standardization and emphasizes
socio-economic concerns that must be accounted before successful adoption of
this promising technology. Various open problems paving the path to future
research opportunities are also discussed.Comment: 30 pages, 18 figures, 9 tables, 102 references, journal submissio
New Radio Small Cell Propagation Environment
The characterization of the wireless medium in indoor small cell networks is essential to obtain appropriate modelling of the propagation environment. This dissertation on ”MeasurementBased Characterization of the 5G New Radio Small Cell Propagation Environment” has been
developed in an experimental environment. The underlying tasks are divided into three
phases. The first phase took place in the laboratory of the Instituto de Telecomunicações
– Covilhã, located in the Departamento de Engenharia Electromecânica of Universidade da
Beira Interior. During this part of the research, spectrum measurements and the characterization of the S11 parameter (response in the first port for the signal incident in the first port)
have been made experimentally through the printed circuit board antennas in the 2.6 GHz
and 3.5 GHz frequency bands operating in the 2.625 GHz and 3.590 GHz center frequency,
manufactured by us. The fabrication of the antennas was preceded by the simulation in the
student version CST STUDIO software. In this phase, the spectrum measurements and the
characterization of Smith Chart have been made to measure gain and impedance using the
Rohde & Schwarz Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) from IT laboratory. Based on mathematical calculations and considerations on the conductivity and permeability of the environment,
the antennas were built for use in indoor and outdoor environments. The developed antennas are characterized by their bandwidth and their radiation characteristics.
The second phase took place in the three rooms adjacent to the laboratory, in which the
srsLTE emulation software was applied to the 4G indoor scenario. The experimental setup
includes three elements, namely a base station (BS or 4G eNodeB), which transmits the communication signal and which served as a signal source, a user equipment (UE), and an interfering eNodeB. The size of each room is 7.32 × 7.32 square meters. While room 1 is the room
of interest, where theoretical and practical measurements took place, BSs that act as wireless
interfering nodes are also separately considered either in room 2 or room 3. By varying the
UE positions within room 1, it was possible to verify that the highest values of the received
power occur close to the central BS. However, the received power does not decrease suddenly
because of the reduced gain in the radiation pattern in the back part of the antenna. In addition, it was demonstrated that there is an effect of “wall loss”proven by the path loss increase
between room 1 and room 2 (or between room 2 and 3). If we consider an attenuation for
each wall of circa 7-9 dB the trend of the WINNER II at 2.625 GHz model for the interference coming across different walls is verified. Future work includes to investigate the 3.5
GHz frequency band.
The third phase is being carried out at the facilities of the old aerodrome of Covilhã which,
using a temporary license assigned to us by Instituto de Comunicações Português (ICP-ANACOM)
as the two first phases. The aim of this phase is to investigate the two-slope behaviour in the
UMi scenario. Very initial LTE-Advanced tests have been performed to verify the propagation of the two ray (with a reflection in the asphalt) from BS implemented with USRP B210
and srsLTE system by considering an urban cell with a length of 80 m and an interfering base
station at 320 m, at 2500 - 2510 MHz (DL - Downlink) by now, mainly due to the current
availability of a directional antenna in this specific band.A investigação de sinais rádio em comunicações sem fios continua a gerar considerável interesse em todo mundo, devido ao seu amplo leque de aplicações, que inclui a troca de dados
entre dois ou mais dispositivos, comunicações móveis e via Wi-Fi, infravermelho, transmissão de canais de televisão, monitorização de campos, proteção e vigilância costeira e observação ambiental para exploração. A tecnologia de ondas de rádio é o um dos vários recursos
que viabilizam as comunicações de alta velocidade e encurta distâncias entre dois pontos em
comunicação. Na realidade, caracterização da comunicação em redes com pequenas células é essencial para obter uma modelização apropriada de ambiente de propagação. Esta
dissertação sob o tema ”Measurement-Based Characterization of the 5G New Radio Small
Cells Propagation Envioronment” foi desenvolvida num ambiente experimental, cujas tarefas foram divididas em fases. A primeira fase teve lugar no laboratório do Instituto de
Telecomunicações da Covilhã (IT), afeto ao Departamento de Engenharia Eletromecânica.
Nela foram feitas as simulações das antenas no software CST STUDIO, versão do estudante
que foram utilizadas nos equipamentos durante as medições. Seguiu-se a padronização das
mesmas nas faixas dos 2.6 GHz e 3.5 GHz, nas frequências centrais de 2.625 GHz e 3.590
GHZ, usando placas de circuitos impressos. Em seguida, foram feitas as medições do espectro e a caraterização do S11 e da carta de Smith para medir a impedância de entrada e
o ganho. As medições foram feitas com recurso ao Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). Com
base em cálculos matemáticos e considerações sobre a condutividade e permeabilidade do
ambiente, as antenas foram construídas para uso em ambientes internos e externos e com
ou sem interferentes. As antenas desenvolvidas são caracterizadas por sua largura de banda
e suas características de radiação.
A segunda fase decorreu nas três salas adjacentes ao laboratório de Telecomunicações, na
qual foi montada a topologia com o sistema srsLTE associado aos USRP B210 ligados aos
computadores com o sistema operativo Linux com três componentes, nomeadamente uma
estação base (BS), que serviu de fonte do sinal de comunicação com um equipamento de
utilizador (UE) que o recebe, e dois interferentes. Importa realçar que esta segunda fase
foi dividida em duas etapas, das quais uma sem interferente para medir a potência recebida
da própria estação base e outra com os interferentes mais próximo e mais afastado da sala
do sinal da própria célula. O objetivo desta fase foi o de verificar o modelo de propagação
do sinal de comunicação da tecnologia LTE e medir a potência recebida pelo utilizador com
recurso ao Analisador de Espectro portátil FSH8 da Rohde & Schwarz capaz de medir de 10
kHz a 8 GHz, feita na frequência central de 2.625 GHz.
Nas medições feitas em ambiente interior, o tamanho de cada uma das três salas é 7.32 ×
7.32 metros quadrados. Embora a sala 1 seja a sala de interesse, onde ocorreram as medições
teóricas e práticas, as BSs que atuam como nós interferentes também são consideradas separadamente na sala 2 ou na sala 3. Ao variar as posições de UE dentro da sala 1, foi possível
verificar que os valores superiores da potência recebida ocorrem próximos à BS central. No
entanto, a potência recebida não diminui repentinamente por causa do efeito do ganho reduzido no diagrama de radiação na parte traseira da antena. Além disso, foi demonstrado que existe um efeito de “atenuação da parede” comprovado pelo aumento da atenuação de
trajeto entre a sala 1 e a sala 2 (ou entre a sala 2 e 3). Se considerarmos uma atenuação para
cada parede de cerca de 7-9 dB, verifica-se a tendência do modelo WINNER II a 2.625 GHz
para a interferência que atravessa as diversas paredes. Trabalhos futuros incluem a investigação da banda de frequência de 3.5 GHz.
Já a terceira fase foi realizada nas instalações do antigo aeródromo da Covilhã, e em todas
as fases servimo-nos de uma licença concedida pela Entidade Reguladora do Espectro (ICPANACOM), que permitiu realizar testes de verificação da propagação do sinal no ambiente
livre na faixa de frequência dos 2.6 GHz com 2500 – 2510 MHz (UL - Uplink) e 2620 – 2630
MHz (DL - Downlink). A terceira fase ainda está a decorrer nas instalações do antigo aeródromo da Covilhã, mediante a mesma licença temporária que nos foi atribuída pelo Instituto
de Comunicações de Portugal ou Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ICP-ANACOM)
sendo esta reguladora do espectro. O objetivo é continuar a investigar o comportamento
de duas inclinações no cenário UMi. Testes muito iniciais LTE-Advanced foram realizados
para verificar a propagação dos dois raios (direto e refletido, com uma reflexão no asfalto)
do BS implementado com o sistema USRP B210 e srsLTE, considerando uma célula urbana
com um comprimento de 80 metros uma estação base interferente em 320 metros, a operar, provisoriamente, a 2500 - 2510 MHz (na ligação descendente, DL - Downlink, devido
à disponibilidade de uma antena direcional específica para esta banda).
Finalmente este trabalho de investigação pode ser resumidamente dividido em três categorias, nomeadamente investigação de análises teóricas e matemáticas relevantes da propagação de ondas de rádio em meios com e sem interferência significativa. Medições para verificar o comportamento do sinal de propagação da tecnologia LTE-Advanced com recursos ao
analisador de espectro, simulação das antenas, fabricação e medição das características de
radiação das mesmas. Assim, as antenas concebidas com bons resultados foram fabricadas
nas instalações da Faculdade de Ciências no Departamento de Física da Universidade da
Beira Interior, sendo de seguidas testadas e caracterizadas com o auxílio do Vector Nettwork
Analyzer disponível no Laboratório de Telecomunicações do Departamento de Engenharia
Eletromecânica da Universidade da Beira Interior. E, finalmente, os cálculos estatísticos que
incluem o teste de normalidade de Kolmogorov-Smirnov com recurso ao software estatístico
SPSS para validar os resultados obtidos seguida da construção dos gráficos no Matlab em
3D, conforme a superfície da sala
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