Overview of LTE Isolated E-UTRAN Operation for Public Safety

International audienceIn response to the growing demand in the public safety community for broadband communication systems, LTE is currently being adopted as the base technology for next generation public safety networks. In parallel, notable efforts are being made by the 3GPP to enhance the LTE standard in order to offer public safety oriented services. In the recent Release 13, the Isolated E-UTRAN Operation for Public Safety (IOPS) concept was introduced. IOPS aims at maintaining a level of communication between public safety users, offering them local mission-critical services even when the backhaul connectivity to the core network is not fully functional. Isolated operation is usually needed in mission-critical situations, when the infrastructure is damaged or completely destroyed, and in out of coverage areas. In this article, we present a detailed technical overview on the IOPS specifications, and then identify several research prospects and development perspectives opened up by IOPS, being a relatively novel concept in the mobile networks field

UAV-Empowered Disaster-Resilient Edge Architecture for Delay-Sensitive Communication

The fifth-generation (5G) communication systems will enable enhanced mobile broadband, ultra-reliable low latency, and massive connectivity services. The broadband and low-latency services are indispensable to public safety (PS) communication during natural or man-made disasters. Recently, the third generation partnership project long term evolution (3GPPLTE) has emerged as a promising candidate to enable broadband PS communications. In this article, first we present six major PS-LTE enabling services and the current status of PS-LTE in 3GPP releases. Then, we discuss the spectrum bands allocated for PS-LTE in major countries by international telecommunication union (ITU). Finally, we propose a disaster resilient three-layered architecture for PS-LTE (DR-PSLTE). This architecture consists of a software-defined network (SDN) layer to provide centralized control, an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) cloudlet layer to facilitate edge computing or to enable emergency communication link, and a radio access layer. The proposed architecture is flexible and combines the benefits of SDNs and edge computing to efficiently meet the delay requirements of various PS-LTE services. Numerical results verified that under the proposed DR-PSLTE architecture, delay is reduced by 20% as compared with the conventional centralized computing architecture.Comment: 9,

End-to-end Mobile Network Slicing

Wireless networks have gone through several years of evolution until now and will continue to do so in order to cater for the varying needs of its users. These demands are expected to continue to grow even more in the future, both in size and variability. Hence, the 5G technology needs to consider these variabilities in service demands and potential data explosion which could accompany users’ demands at the core of its architecture. For 5G mobile network to handle these foreseen challenges, network slicing \cite{c13} is seen as a potential path to tread as its standardization is progressing. In light of the proposed 5G network architecture and to support and end-to-end mobile network slicing, we implemented radio access network (RAN) slicing over a virtualized evolved Node B (eNodeB) and ensured multiple core network slices could communicate through it successfully. Our results, challenges and further research path are presented in this thesis report

Mission critical ICT

In this paper, three technologies intended to be implemented in Private Mobile Radio systems are analyzed and compared: TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio), LTE (Long Term Evolution) and DMR (Digital Mobile Radio). Characteristics of these networks are collected and compared in one SWOT table. Based on this analysis, appropriate recommendations are made, which should be taken into account when choosing a specific solution for specific uses in Critical Communications systems

The Future of LTE: The Femtocells perspective

The Femtocell is one of the constituents of the LTE-Advanced technology components. It is categorized under the heterogeneous network's small cell concepts. In order to meet one of the most essential desires of mobile network - better coverage and enhanced system capacity, femtocell has offered and will offer most definitely a comprehensive solution to the service providers and subscribers alike. A detail presentation of the past, the present and the future of the femtocell technology has been studied and considered from the perspective of the LTE straight to LTE-Advanced; and tailored to the variants existence of the femto-cellular architecture. The much benefits of the femtocells does leave some points of thought for challenges in the existing deployments; to the users', a concern for privacy and confidentiality; and to the operators, most importantly, cost reduction, better coverage and security. That did not leave out the quest to have improved system deployment by considering issues like Interferences, Mobility and Handover, Backhauling, Self-Organizing Networks, Synchronization and so on. The aim of this thesis is to examine in a top-down approach the femtocells as an important component of the developing LTE-Advanced Technology, with essential projection into the future of the femto-cellular technology and what the future holds for its deployment for operators. To loathe it or to like it! The global success of the femtocells will determine its future at best

Mission-Critical Communications from LMR to 5G: a Technology Assessment approach for Smart City scenarios

Radiocommunication networks are one of the main support tools of agencies that carry out actions in Public Protection & Disaster Relief (PPDR), and it is necessary to update these communications technologies from narrowband to broadband and integrated to information technologies to have an effective action before society. Understanding that this problem includes, besides the technical aspects, issues related to the social context to which these systems are inserted, this study aims to construct scenarios, using several sources of information, that helps the managers of the PPDR agencies in the technological decisionmaking process of the Digital Transformation of Mission-Critical Communication considering Smart City scenarios, guided by the methods and approaches of Technological Assessment (TA).As redes de radiocomunicações são uma das principais ferramentas de apoio dos órgãos que realizam ações de Proteção Pública e Socorro em desastres, sendo necessário atualizar essas tecnologias de comunicação de banda estreita para banda larga, e integra- las às tecnologias de informação, para se ter uma atuação efetiva perante a sociedade . Entendendo que esse problema inclui, além dos aspectos técnicos, questões relacionadas ao contexto social ao qual esses sistemas estão inseridos, este estudo tem por objetivo a construção de cenários, utilizando diversas fontes de informação que auxiliem os gestores destas agências na tomada de decisão tecnológica que envolve a transformação digital da Comunicação de Missão Crítica considerando cenários de Cidades Inteligentes, guiado pelos métodos e abordagens de Avaliação Tecnológica (TA)

LTE User Association for Self-Deployable Networks in Disaster Management Scenarios

International audienceIn a disaster scenario, both victims and first respon-ders need an access to a communication network for applications with different quality of service requirements (e.g. short delay, high throughput). As LTE compatible devices are very common nowadays, LTE shows a lot of advantages to be used as a disaster management network. However, its already deployed infrastructure may be damaged or unusable following the said disaster. In this scenario, self-deployable networks shine as they are quickly deployable and can cover areas inaccessible to humans. In this paper, we present self-deployable networks and show what the 3GPP LTE standard provides to them. We focus on the legacy best-SINR based mobile association between user equipment and base stations. Then, we show that such association is agnostic of the quality of service requirements and therefore not suitable to support efficiently the dedicated applications used in disaster management. We then propose several points of improvement in this association scheme that take specific disaster management constraints into account

LMR and LTE for Public Safety in 700 MHz Spectrum

This paper presents a concise overview of current public safety communication networks known as LMR (Land Mobile Radio) and emerging LTE-(Long-Term Evolution-) based broadband public safety networks to be deployed in the 700 MHz band. A broadband nationwide network for public safety based on LTE is inevitable where shared or dedicated types of LTE-based public safety networks are possible. Current LTE services do not meet mission-critical requirements and several enhancements have been defined by 3GPP to address this in Releases 12 and 13. First responders are familiar with LMR and consider it to be a reliable technology with massive deployment everywhere. Therefore, it is expected that LMR will continue to exist alongside any new LTE-based broadband public safety network. Recent LTE releases (particularly Release 15) addressed the LMR-LTE interoperability issue and described comprehensive interworking facilities. New and upcoming features and services of LTE in Releases 14 and 15, such as mission-critical data, mission-critical video, and aerial user equipments, are also directly applicable to public safety. The paper endeavours to provide a quick yet meaningful review of all these issues. It also offers a look ahead at the new and rapidly advancing virtualization technologies, such as software-defined radio access network, and radio access network slicing, as enablers for future public safety networks