Service oriented networking for multimedia applications in broadband wireless networks

Extensive efforts have been focused on deploying broadband wireless networks. Providing mobile users with high speed network connectivity will let them run various multimedia applications on their wireless devices. In order to successfully deploy and operate broadband wireless networks, it is crucial to design efficient methods for supporting various services and applications in broadband wireless networks. Moreover, the existing access-oriented networking solutions are not able to fully address all the issues of supporting various applications with different quality of service requirements. Thus, service-oriented networking has been recently proposed and has gained much attention. This dissertation discusses the challenges and possible solutions for supporting multimedia applications in broadband wireless networks. The service requirements of different multimedia applications such as video streaming and Voice over IP (VoIP) are studied and some novel service-oriented networking solutions for supporting these applications in broadband wireless networks are proposed. The performance of these solutions is examined in WiMAX networks which are the promising technology for broadband wireless access in the near future. WiMAX networks are based on the IEEE 802.16 standards which have defined different Quality of Service (QoS) classes to support a broad range of applications with varying service requirements to mobile and stationary users. The growth of multimedia traffic that requires special quality of service from the network will impose new constraints on network designers who should wisely allocate the limited resources to users based on their required quality of service. An efficient resource management and network design depends upon gaining accurate information about the traffic profile of user applications. In this dissertation, the access level traffic profile of VoIP applications are studied first, and then a realistic distribution model for VoIP traffic is proposed. Based on this model, an algorithm to allocate resources for VoIP applications in WiMAX networks is investigated. Later, the challenges and possible solutions for transmitting MPEG video streams in wireless networks are discussed. The MPEG traffic model adopted by the WiMAX Forum is introduced and different application-oriented solutions for enhancing the performance of wireless networks with respect to MPEG video streaming applications are explained. An analytical framework to verify the performance of the proposed solutions is discoursed, and it is shown that the proposed solutions will improve the efficiency of VoIP applications and the quality of streaming applications over wireless networks. Finally, conclusions are drawn and future works are discussed

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

Opportunistic device-to-device communication in cellular networks: from theory to practice

Mención Internacional en el título de doctorCellular service providers have been struggling with users’ demand since the emergence of mobile Internet. As a result, each generation of cellular network prevailed over its predecessors mainly in terms of connection speed. However, the fifth generation (5G) of cellular network promises to go beyond this trend by revolutionizing the network architecture. Device-to-Device (D2D) communication is one of the revolutionary changes that enables mobile users to communicate directly without traversing a base station. This feature is being actively studied in 3GPP with special focus on public safety as it allows mobiles to operate in adhoc mode. Although under the (partial) control of the network, D2D communications open the door to many other use-cases. This dissertation studies different aspects of D2D communications and its impact on the key performance indicators of the network. We design an architecture for the collaboration of cellular users by means of timely exploited D2D opportunities. We begin by presenting the analytical study on opportunistic outband D2D communications. The study reveals the great potential of opportunistic outband D2D communications for enhancing energy efficiency, fairness, and capacity of cellular networks when groups of D2D users can be form and managed in the cellular network. Then we introduce a protocol that is compatible with the latest release of IEEE and 3GPP standards and allows for implementation of our proposal in a today’s cellular network. To validate our analytical findings, we use our experimental Software Defined Radio (SDR)-based testbed to further study our proposal in a real world scenario. The experimental results confirm the outstanding potential of opportunistic outband D2D communications. Finally, we investigate the performance merits and disadvantages of different D2D “modes”. Our investigation reveals, despite the common belief, that all D2D modes are complementary and their merits are scenario based.This work has been supported by IMDEA Networks Institute.Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Ingeniería TelemáticaPresidente: Douglas Leith.- Secretario: Albert Banchs Roca.- Vocal: Carla Fabiana Chiasserin

Radio resource management techniques for QoS provision in 5G networks

Premi extraordinari doctorat UPC curs 2017-2018. Àmbit d’Enginyeria de les TICAs numerous mobile applications and over-the-top (OTT) services emerge and mobile Internet connectivity becomes ubiquitous, the provision of high quality of service (QoS) is more challenging for mobile network operators (MNOs). Research efforts focus on the development of innovative resource management techniques and have introduced the long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) communication standard. Novel business models make the growth of network capacity sustainable by enabling MNOs to combine their resources. The fifth generation (5G) mobile networks will involve technologies and business stakeholders with different capabilities and demands that may affect the QoS provision, requiring efficient radio resource sharing. The need for higher network capacity has introduced novel technologies that improve resource allocation efficiency. Direct connectivity among user equipment terminals (UEs) circumventing the LTE-A infrastructure alleviates the network overload. Part of mobile traffic is offloaded to outband device-to-device (D2D) connections (in unlicensed spectrum) enabling data exchange between UEs directly or via UEs-relays. Still, MNOs need additional spectrum resources and infrastructure. The inter-operator network sharing concept has emerged motivating the adoption of virtualization that enables network slicing, i.e., dynamic separation of resources in virtual slices (VSs). VSs are managed in isolation by different tenants using software defined networking and encompass core and radio access network resources allocated periodically to UEs. When UEs access OTT applications, flows with different QoS demands and priorities determined by OTT service providers (OSPs) are generated. OSPs’ policies should be considered in VS allocation. The coexisting technologies, business models and stakeholders require sophisticated radio resource management (RRM) techniques. To that end, RRM is performed in a complex ecosystem. When D2D communication involves data concurrently downloaded by the mobile network, QoS may be affected by LTE-A network parameters (resource scheduling policy, downlink channel conditions). It is also affected by the relay selection, as UEs may not be willing to help unknown UE pairs and UEs’ social ties in mobile applications may influence willingness for D2D cooperation. Thus, effective medium access control (MAC) mechanisms should coordinate D2D transmissions employing advanced techniques, e.g., network coding (NC). When UEs access OTT applications, OSPs’ policies are not considered by MNOs in RRM and OSPs cannot apply flow prioritization. Network neutrality issues also arise when OSPs claim resources from MNOs aiming to minimize grade of service (GoS). OSPs’ intervention may delay flows’ accommodation due to the time required for OSP-MNO interaction and the time the flows spent waiting for resources. This thesis proposes novel solutions to the RRM issues of outband D2D communication and VS allocation for OSPs in 5G networks. We present a cooperative D2D MAC protocol that leverages the opportunities for NC in D2D communication under the influence of LTE-A network parameters and its throughput performance analysis. The protocol improves D2D throughput and energy efficiency, especially for UEs with better downlink channel conditions. We next introduce social awareness in D2D MAC design and present a social-aware cooperative D2D MAC protocol that employs UEs’ social ties to promote the use of friendly relays reducing the total energy consumption. Motivated by the lack of approaches for OSP-oriented RRM, we present a novel flow prioritization algorithm based on matching theory that applies OSPs’ policies respecting the network neutrality and the analysis of its GoS and delay performance. The algorithm maintains low overhead and delay without affecting fairness among OSPs. Our techniques highlight the QoS improvement induced by the joint consideration of different technologies and business stakeholders in RRM design.A medida que varias aplicaciones móviles y servicios over-the-top (OTT) surgen y el Internet móvil se vuelve ubicua, la prestación de alta calidad de servicio (QoS) es desafiante para los operadores de red móvil (MNOs). Los estudios de investigación se enfocan en técnicas innovadoras para la gestión de recursos de red y han resultado en la especificación del estándar de comunicación long term evolution advanced (LTE-A). Modelos comerciales nuevos hacen que el crecimiento de la capacidad de red sea sostenible al permitir que MNOs combinen sus recursos. La quinta generación (5G) de redes móviles implicará tecnologías y partes comerciales interesadas con varias habilidades y demandas que pueden afectar la provisión de QoS y demandan la gestión eficaz de recursos de radio. La necesidad de capacidad de red más alta ha introducido tecnologías que hacen más eficiente la asignación de recursos. La conectividad directa entre terminales de equipos de usuarios (UEs) eludiendo la infraestructura LTE-A alivia la sobrecarga de red. Parte del tráfico es dirigido a conexiones de dispositivo a dispositivo (D2D) outband permitiendo la comunicación de UEs directamente o con relés. Los MNOs necesitan nuevos recursos de espectro e infraestructura. El intercambio de recursos entre MNOs ha surgido motivando la adopción de virtualización que realiza la segmentación de red i.e., la separación dinámica de recursos en trozos virtuales (VSs). Los VSs son administrados de forma aislada por inquilinos diferentes con software defined networking y abarcan recursos de red core y radio access asignadas periódicamente a UEs. Cuando UEs usan aplicaciones OTT, flujos de aplicación con demandas y prioridades definidas por proveedores de servicios OTT (OSPs) se generan. Las políticas de OSPs deben ser integradas en la asignación de VSs. La coexistencia de varias tecnologías y partes comerciales demanda técnicas sofisticadas de gestión de recursos radio (RRM). Con ese fin, la RRM se realiza en un ecosistema complejo. Si la comunicación D2D involucra datos descargados simultáneamente por la red móvil, los parámetros de red LTE-A (política de scheduling de recursos, condiciones de canal downlink) afectan el QoS. La selección de relés afecta el rendimiento porque los UEs no desean siempre ayudar a UEs desconocidos. Las relaciones sociales de los UEs en aplicaciones móviles pueden determinar la voluntad para la comunicación cooperativa D2D. Por lo tanto, mecanismos de control de acceso al medio (MAC) deben coordinar las transmisiones D2D con técnicas avanzadas ej., codificación de red. Si los UEs usan servicios OTT, las políticas de OSPs no son consideradas en RRM y los OSPs no emplean flujos prioritarios. Problemas de neutralidad de red surgen cuando los OSPs reclaman recursos de MNOs para minimizar el grado de servicio (GoS). La intervención de OSPs puede causar retraso en el servicio de flujos debido a la interacción OSP-MNO y el tiempo requerido para que los flujos reciban recursos. Esta tesis presenta soluciones nuevas para los problemas RRM de comunicación D2D outband y asignación de VSs a OSPs en redes 5G. Proponemos un protocolo D2D MAC cooperativo que explota las oportunidades de NC bajo la influencia de parámetros de red LTE-A y su análisis de rendimiento. El protocolo mejora el rendimiento y la eficiencia energética especialmente para UEs con mejores condiciones de canal downlink. Introducimos la conciencia social en el D2D MAC y proponemos un protocolo que utiliza relaciones sociales de UEs para elegir relés-amigos y reduce el consumo de energía. Dada la falta de técnicas que aborden el problema RRM de OSPs presentamos un algoritmo que aplique políticas de OSPs y respete la neutralidad usando la teoría de matching, y su análisis de GoS y retraso. El algoritmo induce bajo coste y retraso sin afectar la imparcialidad entre OSPs. Estas técnicas demuestran la mejora de QoS gracias a la consideración de tecnologas y partes comerciales diferentes en RRM.Award-winningPostprint (published version

Contention techniques for opportunistic communication in wireless mesh networks

Auf dem Gebiet der drahtlosen Kommunikation und insbesondere auf den tieferen Netzwerkschichten sind gewaltige Fortschritte zu verzeichnen. Innovative Konzepte und Technologien auf der physikalischen Schicht (PHY) gehen dabei zeitnah in zelluläre Netze ein. Drahtlose Maschennetzwerke (WMNs) können mit diesem Innovationstempo nicht mithalten. Die Mehrnutzer-Kommunikation ist ein Grundpfeiler vieler angewandter PHY Technologien, die sich in WMNs nur ungenügend auf die etablierte Schichtenarchitektur abbilden lässt. Insbesondere ist das Problem des Scheduling in WMNs inhärent komplex. Erstaunlicherweise ist der Mehrfachzugriff mit Trägerprüfung (CSMA) in WMNs asymptotisch optimal obwohl das Verfahren eine geringe Durchführungskomplexität aufweist. Daher stellt sich die Frage, in welcher Weise das dem CSMA zugrunde liegende Konzept des konkurrierenden Wettbewerbs (engl. Contention) für die Integration innovativer PHY Technologien verwendet werden kann. Opportunistische Kommunikation ist eine Technik, die die inhärenten Besonderheiten des drahtlosen Kanals ausnutzt. In der vorliegenden Dissertation werden CSMA-basierte Protokolle für die opportunistische Kommunikation in WMNs entwickelt und evaluiert. Es werden dabei opportunistisches Routing (OR) im zustandslosen Kanal und opportunistisches Scheduling (OS) im zustandsbehafteten Kanal betrachtet. Ziel ist es, den Durchsatz von elastischen Paketflüssen gerecht zu maximieren. Es werden Modelle für Überlastkontrolle, Routing und konkurrenzbasierte opportunistische Kommunikation vorgestellt. Am Beispiel von IEEE 802.11 wird illustriert, wie der schichtübergreifende Entwurf in einem Netzwerksimulator prototypisch implementiert werden kann. Auf Grundlage der Evaluationsresultate kann der Schluss gezogen werden, dass die opportunistische Kommunikation konkurrenzbasiert realisierbar ist. Darüber hinaus steigern die vorgestellten Protokolle den Durchsatz im Vergleich zu etablierten Lösungen wie etwa DCF, DSR, ExOR, RBAR und ETT.In the field of wireless communication, a tremendous progress can be observed especially at the lower layers. Innovative physical layer (PHY) concepts and technologies can be rapidly assimilated in cellular networks. Wireless mesh networks (WMNs), on the other hand, cannot keep up with the speed of innovation at the PHY due to their flat and decentralized architecture. Many innovative PHY technologies rely on multi-user communication, so that the established abstraction of the network stack does not work well for WMNs. The scheduling problem in WMNs is inherent complex. Surprisingly, carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) in WMNs is asymptotically utility-optimal even though it has a low computational complexity and does not involve message exchange. Hence, the question arises whether CSMA and the underlying concept of contention allows for the assimilation of advanced PHY technologies into WMNs. In this thesis, we design and evaluate contention protocols based on CSMA for opportunistic communication in WMNs. Opportunistic communication is a technique that relies on multi-user diversity in order to exploit the inherent characteristics of the wireless channel. In particular, we consider opportunistic routing (OR) and opportunistic scheduling (OS) in memoryless and slow fading channels, respectively. We present models for congestion control, routing and contention-based opportunistic communication in WMNs in order to maximize both throughput and fairness of elastic unicast traffic flows. At the instance of IEEE 802.11, we illustrate how the cross-layer algorithms can be implemented within a network simulator prototype. Our evaluation results lead to the conclusion that contention-based opportunistic communication is feasible. Furthermore, the proposed protocols increase both throughput and fairness in comparison to state-of-the-art approaches like DCF, DSR, ExOR, RBAR and ETT

Radio network management in cognitive LTE-Femtocell Systems

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London.There is a strong uptake of femtocell deployment as small cell application platforms in the upcoming LTE networks. In such two-tier networks of LTEfemtocell base stations, a large portion of the assigned spectrum is used sporadically leading to underutilisation of valuable frequency resources. Novel spectrum access techniques are necessary to solve these current spectrum inefficiency problems. Therefore, spectrum management solutions should have the features to improve spectrum access in both temporal and spatial manner. Cognitive Radio (CR) with the Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) is considered to be the key technology in this research in order to increase the spectrum efficiency. This is an effective solution to allow a group of Secondary Users (SUs) to share the radio spectrum initially allocated to the Primary User (PUs) at no interference. The core aim of this thesis is to develop new cognitive LTE-femtocell systems that offer a 4G vision, to facilitate the radio network management in order to increase the network capacity and further improve spectrum access probabilities. In this thesis, a new spectrum management model for cognitive radio networks is considered to enable a seamless integration of multi-access technology with existing networks. This involves the design of efficient resource allocation algorithms that are able to respond to the rapid changes in the dynamic wireless environment and primary users activities. Throughout this thesis a variety of network upgraded functions are developed using application simulation scenarios. Therefore, the proposed algorithms, mechanisms, methods, and system models are not restricted in the considered networks, but rather have a wider applicability to be used in other technologies. This thesis mainly investigates three aspects of research issues relating to the efficient management of cognitive networks: First, novel spectrum resource management modules are proposed to maximise the spectrum access by rapidly detecting the available transmission opportunities. Secondly, a developed pilot power controlling algorithm is introduced to minimise the power consumption by considering mobile position and application requirements. Also, there is investigation on the impact of deploying different numbers of femtocell base stations in LTE domain to identify the optimum cell size for future networks. Finally, a novel call admission control mechanism for mobility management is proposed to support seamless handover between LTE and femtocell domains. This is performed by assigning high speed mobile users to the LTE system to avoid unnecessary handovers. The proposed solutions were examined by simulation and numerical analysis to show the strength of cognitive femtocell deployment for the required applications. The results show that the new system design based on cognitive radio configuration enable an efficient resource management in terms of spectrum allocation, adaptive pilot power control, and mobile handover. The proposed framework and algorithms offer a novel spectrum management for self organised LTE-femtocell architecture. Eventually, this research shows that certain architectures fulfilling spectrum management requirements are implementable in practice and display good performance in dynamic wireless environments which recommends the consideration of CR systems in LTE and femtocell networks