Reliable Video Streaming over mmWave with Multi Connectivity and Network Coding

The next generation of multimedia applications will require the telecommunication networks to support a higher bitrate than today, in order to deliver virtual reality and ultra-high quality video content to the users. Most of the video content will be accessed from mobile devices, prompting the provision of very high data rates by next generation (5G) cellular networks. A possible enabler in this regard is communication at mmWave frequencies, given the vast amount of available spectrum that can be allocated to mobile users; however, the harsh propagation environment at such high frequencies makes it hard to provide a reliable service. This paper presents a reliable video streaming architecture for mmWave networks, based on multi connectivity and network coding, and evaluates its performance using a novel combination of the ns-3 mmWave module, real video traces and the network coding library Kodo. The results show that it is indeed possible to reliably stream video over cellular mmWave links, while the combination of multi connectivity and network coding can support high video quality with low latency.Comment: To be presented at the 2018 IEEE International Conference on Computing, Networking and Communications (ICNC), March 2018, Maui, Hawaii, USA (invited paper). 6 pages, 4 figure

The mobile communications role in next generation networks: The case of Spain

Next generation access networks (NGAN) will support a renewed electronic communication market where main opportunities lie in the provision of ubiquitous broadband connectivity, applications and content. From their deployment it is - much - expected a wealth of innovations. Within this framework this paper reviews the technical architecture of a mobile network as a candidate for a NGAN deployment, derives a simple method for approcimate cost calculations, and then discusses the results obtained. Data for Spain are used for practical calculations, but the model is applicable with minor modivications to most ot the EU countries. The final part of the paper is devoted to reflect on the technical and economic feasibility of mobile communications as part of NGAN, as well as the adequacy and possible development of the current regulatory framework. --LTE,4G,Mobile communications,Next Generation Networks,Spain

Smart PIN: utility-based replication and delivery of multimedia content to mobile users in wireless networks

Next generation wireless networks rely on heterogeneous connectivity technologies to support various rich media services such as personal information storage, file sharing and multimedia streaming. Due to users’ mobility and dynamic characteristics of wireless networks, data availability in collaborating devices is a critical issue. In this context Smart PIN was proposed as a personal information network which focuses on performance of delivery and cost efficiency. Smart PIN uses a novel data replication scheme based on individual and overall system utility to best balance the requirements for static data and multimedia content delivery with variable device availability due to user mobility. Simulations show improved results in comparison with other general purpose data replication schemes in terms of data availability

A software-defined architecture for next-generation cellular networks

In the recent years, mobile cellular networks are undergoing fundamental changes and many established concepts are being revisited. New emerging paradigms, such as Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), Internet of Things (IoT),and Mobile Social Networking (MSN), bring challenges in the design of cellular networks architectures. Current Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks are not able to accommodate these new trends in a scalable and efficient way. In this paper, first we discuss the limitations of the current LTE architecture. Second, driven by the new communication needs and by the advances in aforementioned areas, we propose a new architecture for next generation cellular networks. Some of its characteristics include support for distributed content routing, Heterogeneous Networks(HetNets) and multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). Finally, we present simulation results which show that significant backhaul traffic savings can be achieved by implementing caching and routing functions at the network edge

Energy efficiency analysis of next-generation passive optical network (NG-PON) technologies in a major city network

Ever-increasing bandwidth demands associated with mobile backhaul, content-rich services and the convergence of residential and business access will drive the need for next-generation passive optical networks (NG-PONs) in the long term. At the same time, there is a growing interest in reducing the energy consumption and the associated cost of the access network. In this paper, we consider a deployment scenario in a major city to assess the energy efficiency of various PON solutions from a telecom operator's perspective. We compare five next-generation technologies to a baseline GPON deployment offering similar bandwidths and Quality of Service (QoS) for best-effort high speed connectivity services. We follow two approaches:first, we consider a fixed split ratio (1:64) in an existing Optical Distribution Network (ODN); next, we consider an upgraded ODN with an optimized split ratio for the specific bandwidth and QoS values. For medium bandwidth demands, our results show that legacy PONs can be upgraded to 10G PON without any ODN modification. For future applications that may require access rates up to 1 Gb/s, NG-PON2 technologies with higher split ratios and increased reach become more interesting systems, offering the potential for both increased energy efficiency and node consolidation

Mitigating Interference in Content Delivery Networks by Spatial Signal Alignment: The Approach of Shot-Noise Ratio

Multimedia content especially videos is expected to dominate data traffic in next-generation mobile networks. Caching popular content at the network edge has emerged to be a solution for low-latency content delivery. Compared with the traditional wireless communication, content delivery has a key characteristic that many signals coexisting in the air carry identical popular content. They, however, can interfere with each other at a receiver if their modulation-and-coding (MAC) schemes are adapted to individual channels following the classic approach. To address this issue, we present a novel idea of content adaptive MAC (CAMAC) where adapting MAC schemes to content ensures that all signals carry identical content are encoded using an identical MAC scheme, achieving spatial MAC alignment. Consequently, interference can be harnessed as signals, to improve the reliability of wireless delivery. In the remaining part of the paper, we focus on quantifying the gain CAMAC can bring to a content-delivery network using a stochastic-geometry model. Specifically, content helpers are distributed as a Poisson point process, each of which transmits a file from a content database based on a given popularity distribution. It is discovered that the successful content-delivery probability is closely related to the distribution of the ratio of two independent shot noise processes, named a shot-noise ratio. The distribution itself is an open mathematical problem that we tackle in this work. Using stable-distribution theory and tools from stochastic geometry, the distribution function is derived in closed form. Extending the result in the context of content-delivery networks with CAMAC yields the content-delivery probability in different closed forms. In addition, the gain in the probability due to CAMAC is shown to grow with the level of skewness in the content popularity distribution.Comment: 32 pages, to appear in IEEE Trans. on Wireless Communicatio

UMTS broadband mobile technology is a reality – Confounding many expectations

Contrary to the negative public perception, third-generation (3G) broadband mobile telecommunication, aka UMTS, has become reality. UMTS networks have been rolled out above all in Central Europe. The take-up of UMTS differs sharply from one country to the next, though. The large differences are due not only to market-related factors and differing marketing strategies, but also to political intervention that distorts the market. At present, content providers, handset makers and telcos are working feverishly to produce UMTS-based supplementary offerings. For the sluggish demand for mobile broadband services still harbours a big risk for the entire telecommunications sector.information an communications technology; telecommunications; 3G; broadband