462 research outputs found
Distributed multi-user MIMO transmission using real-time sigma-delta-over-fiber for next generation fronthaul interface
To achieve the massive device connectivity and high data rate demanded by 5G, wireless transmission with wider signal bandwidths and higher-order multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is inevitable. This work demonstrates a possible function split option for the next generation fronthaul interface (NGFI). The proof-of-concept downlink architecture consists of real-time sigma-delta modulated signal over fiber (SDoF) links in combination with distributed multi-user (MU) MIMO transmission. The setup is fully implemented using off-the-shelf and in-house developed components. A single SDoF link achieves an error vector magnitude (EVM) of 3.14% for a 163.84 MHz-bandwidth 256-QAM OFDM signal (958.64 Mbps) with a carrier frequency around 3.5 GHz transmitted over 100 m OM4 multi-mode fiber at 850 nm using a commercial QSFP module. The centralized architecture of the proposed setup introduces no frequency asynchronism among remote radio units. For most cases, the 2 x 2 MU-MIMO transmission has little performance degradation compared to SISO, 0.8 dB EVM degradation for 40.96 MHz-bandwidth signals and 1.4 dB for 163.84 MHz-bandwidth on average, implying that the wireless spectral efficiency almost doubles by exploiting spatial multiplexing. A 1.4 Gbps data rate (720 Mbps per user, 163.84 MHz-bandwidth, 64-QAM) is reached with an average EVM of 6.66%. The performance shows that this approach is feasible for the high-capacity hot-spot scenario
On the Transport Capability of LAN Cables in All-Analog MIMO-RoC Fronthaul
Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN) architecture is the only viable
solution to handle the complex interference scenario generated by massive
antennas and small cells deployment as required by next generation (5G) mobile
networks. In conventional C-RAN, the fronthaul links used to exchange the
signal between Base Band Units (BBUs) and Remote Antenna Units (RAUs) are based
on digital baseband (BB) signals over optical fibers due to the huge bandwidth
required. In this paper we evaluate the transport capability of copper-based
all-analog fronthaul architecture called Radio over Copper (RoC) that leverages
on the pre-existing LAN cables that are already deployed in buildings and
enterprises. In particular, the main contribution of the paper is to evaluate
the number of independent BB signals for multiple antennas system that can be
transported over multi-pair Cat-5/6/7 cables under a predefined fronthauling
transparency condition in terms of maximum BB signal degradation. The MIMO-RoC
proves to be a complementary solution to optical fiber for the last 200m toward
the RAUs, mostly to reuse the existing LAN cables and to power-supply the RAUs
over the same cable
Wireless Communications in the Era of Big Data
The rapidly growing wave of wireless data service is pushing against the
boundary of our communication network's processing power. The pervasive and
exponentially increasing data traffic present imminent challenges to all the
aspects of the wireless system design, such as spectrum efficiency, computing
capabilities and fronthaul/backhaul link capacity. In this article, we discuss
the challenges and opportunities in the design of scalable wireless systems to
embrace such a "bigdata" era. On one hand, we review the state-of-the-art
networking architectures and signal processing techniques adaptable for
managing the bigdata traffic in wireless networks. On the other hand, instead
of viewing mobile bigdata as a unwanted burden, we introduce methods to
capitalize from the vast data traffic, for building a bigdata-aware wireless
network with better wireless service quality and new mobile applications. We
highlight several promising future research directions for wireless
communications in the mobile bigdata era.Comment: This article is accepted and to appear in IEEE Communications
Magazin
Fronthaul-Constrained Cloud Radio Access Networks: Insights and Challenges
As a promising paradigm for fifth generation (5G) wireless communication
systems, cloud radio access networks (C-RANs) have been shown to reduce both
capital and operating expenditures, as well as to provide high spectral
efficiency (SE) and energy efficiency (EE). The fronthaul in such networks,
defined as the transmission link between a baseband unit (BBU) and a remote
radio head (RRH), requires high capacity, but is often constrained. This
article comprehensively surveys recent advances in fronthaul-constrained
C-RANs, including system architectures and key techniques. In particular, key
techniques for alleviating the impact of constrained fronthaul on SE/EE and
quality of service for users, including compression and quantization,
large-scale coordinated processing and clustering, and resource allocation
optimization, are discussed. Open issues in terms of software-defined
networking, network function virtualization, and partial centralization are
also identified.Comment: 5 Figures, accepted by IEEE Wireless Communications. arXiv admin
note: text overlap with arXiv:1407.3855 by other author
High-capacity 5G fronthaul networks based on optical space division multiplexing
\u3cp\u3eThe introduction of 5G mobile networks, bringing multi-Gbit/s user data rates and reduced latency, opens new opportunities for media generation, transport and distribution, as well as for new immersive media applications. The expected use of millimeter-wave carriers and the strong network densification resulting from a much reduced cell size--which enable the expected performance of 5G--pose major challenges to the fronthaul network. Space division multiplexing (SDM) in the optical domain has been suggested for ultra-high capacity fronthaul networks that naturally support different classes of fronthaul traffic and further enable the use of analog radio-over-fiber and advanced technologies, such as optical beamforming. This paper discusses the introduction of SDM with multi-core fibers in the fronthaul network as suggested by the blueSPACE project, regarding both digitized and analog radio-over-fiber fronthaul transport as well as the introduction of optical beamforming for high-capacity millimeter-wave radio access. Analog and digitized radio-over-fiber are discussed in a scenario featuring parallel fronthaul for different radio access technologies, showcasing their differences and potential when combined with SDM.\u3c/p\u3
Total Cost of Ownership of Digital vs. Analog Radio-Over-Fiber Architectures for 5G Fronthauling
The article analyzes the total cost of ownership (TCO) of 5G fronthauling solutions based on analog and digital radio-over-fiber (RoF) architectures in cloud radio access networks (C-RANs). The capital and operational expenditures (CAPEX, OPEX) are assessed, for a 10-year period, considering three different RoF techniques: intermediate frequency analog RoF (IF-A-RoF), digital signal processing (DSP) assisted analog RoF (DSP-A-RoF), and digital RoF (D-RoF) based on the common public radio interface (CPRI) specifications. The greenfield deployment scenario under exam includes both fiber trenching (FT) and fiber leasing (FL) options. The TCO is assessed while varying (i) the number of aggregated subcarriers, (ii) the number of three-sector antennas located at the base station, and (iii) the mean fiber-hop length. The comparison highlights the significance that subcarrier aggregation has on the cost efficiency of the analog RoF solutions. In addition, the analysis details the contribution of each cost category to the overall CAPEX and OPEX values. The obtained results indicate that subcarrier aggregation via DSP results in high cost efficiency for a mobile fronthaul network, while a CPRI-based architecture together with FL brings the highest OPEX value
High Capacity Mode Division Multiplexing Based MIMO Enabled All-Optical Analog Millimeter-Wave Over Fiber Fronthaul Architecture for 5G and Beyond
The ever-increasing proliferation of mobile users and new technologies, and the demands for ubiquitous connectivity, high data capacity, faster data speed, low latency, and reliable services have been driven the quest for the next generation, fifth generation (5G), of the wireless networks. Cloud radio access network (C-RAN) has been identified as a promising architecture for addressing 5G requirements. However, C-RAN enforces stringent requirements on the fronthaul capacity and latency. To this end, several fronthaul solutions have been proposed in the literature, ranging from transporting digitized radio signals over fiber and functional splits to an entirely analog-radio-over fiber (A-RoF) based fronthual. A-RoF is a highly appealing transport solution for fronthual of 5G and beyond owing to its high bandwidth and energy efficiency, low system complexity, small footprint, cost-effectiveness, and low latency. In this paper, a high capacity multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) enabled all-optical analog-millimeter-wave-over fiber (A-MMWoF) fronthaul architecture is proposed for 5G and beyond of wireless networks. The proposed architecture employs photonic MMW signals generation and mode division multiplexing (MDM) along with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) for transporting MMW MIMO signals in the optical domain. In support of the proposed architecture design, a comprehensive state-of-the-art literature review on the recent research works in high capacity A-RoF fronthaul systems and related transport technologies is presented. In addition, the corresponding potential challenges and solutions along with potential future directions are highlighted. The proposed design is flexible and scalable for achieving high capacity, high speed, and low latency fronthaul links
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