353 research outputs found
Coverage and Deployment Analysis of Narrowband Internet of Things in the Wild
Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is gaining momentum as a promising
technology for massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC). Given that its
deployment is rapidly progressing worldwide, measurement campaigns and
performance analyses are needed to better understand the system and move toward
its enhancement. With this aim, this paper presents a large scale measurement
campaign and empirical analysis of NB-IoT on operational networks, and
discloses valuable insights in terms of deployment strategies and radio
coverage performance. The reported results also serve as examples showing the
potential usage of the collected dataset, which we make open-source along with
a lightweight data visualization platform.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Communications Magazine (Internet of
Things and Sensor Networks Series
Evaluation, Modeling and Optimization of Coverage Enhancement Methods of NB-IoT
Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a new Low Power Wide Area Network
(LPWAN) technology released by 3GPP. The primary goals of NB-IoT are improved
coverage, massive capacity, low cost, and long battery life. In order to
improve coverage, NB-IoT has promising solutions, such as increasing
transmission repetitions, decreasing bandwidth, and adapting the Modulation and
Coding Scheme (MCS). In this paper, we present an implementation of coverage
enhancement features of NB-IoT in NS-3, an end-to-end network simulator. The
resource allocation and link adaptation in NS-3 are modified to comply with the
new features of NB-IoT. Using the developed simulation framework, the influence
of the new features on network reliability and latency is evaluated.
Furthermore, an optimal hybrid link adaptation strategy based on all three
features is proposed. To achieve this, we formulate an optimization problem
that has an objective function based on latency, and constraint based on the
Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). Then, we propose several algorithms to minimize
latency and compare them with respect to accuracy and speed. The best hybrid
solution is chosen and implemented in the NS-3 simulator by which the latency
formulation is verified. The numerical results show that the proposed
optimization algorithm for hybrid link adaptation is eight times faster than
the exhaustive search approach and yields similar latency
Software Defined Radio for NB-IoT
The next generation of mobile radio systems is expected to providing wireless connectivity for a wide range of new applications and services involving not only people but also machines and objects. Within few years, billions of low-cost and low-complexity devices and sensors will be connected to the Internet, forming a converged ecosystem called Internet of Things
(IoT). As a result, in 2016, 3GPP standardizes NB-IoT, the new narrowband radio technology developed for the IoT market. Massive connectivity, reduced UE complexity, coverage
extension and deployment flexibility are the targets for this new radio interface, which also ensures harmonious coexistence with current GSM, GPRS and LTE systems. In parallel, the rise of open-source software combined with Software Defined Radio (SDR) solutions has completely changed radio systems engineering in the late years. This thesis focuses on developing the NB-IoT’s protocol stack on the EURECOM’s open-source software platform OpenAirInterface (OAI). First part of this work aims to implement NB-IoT’s Radio Resource Control functionalities on OAI. After an introduction to the platform architecture, a new RRC layer code structure and related interfaces are defined, along with a new approach for Signalling Radio Bearers management. A deep analysis on System Information scheduling is conducted and a subframe-based transmission scheme is then proposed. The last part of this thesis addresses the implementation of a multi-vendor platform interface based on Small Cell Forum’s Functional Application Platform Interface (FAPI) standard. A configurable and dynamically loadable Interface Module (IF-Module) is designed between OAI’s MAC and PHY layers. Primitives and related code structures are presented as well as corresponding Data
and Configuration’s procedures. Finally, the convergence of both NB-IoT and FAPI requirements lead to re-design PHY layer mechanisms for which a downlink transmission scheme is
proposed
Positioning for the Internet of Things: A 3GPP Perspective
Many use cases in the Internet of Things (IoT) will require or benefit from
location information, making positioning a vital dimension of the IoT. The 3rd
Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has dedicated a significant effort during
its Release 14 to enhance positioning support for its IoT technologies to
further improve the 3GPP-based IoT eco-system. In this article, we identify the
design challenges of positioning support in Long-Term Evolution Machine Type
Communication (LTE-M) and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), and overview the 3GPP's work
in enhancing the positioning support for LTE-M and NB-IoT. We focus on Observed
Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), which is a downlink based positioning
method. We provide an overview of the OTDOA architecture and protocols,
summarize the designs of OTDOA positioning reference signals, and present
simulation results to illustrate the positioning performance.Comment: 8 pages; 7 figures; 1 table; submitted for publicatio
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