1,069 research outputs found
Performance Comparison of Dual Connectivity and Hard Handover for LTE-5G Tight Integration in mmWave Cellular Networks
MmWave communications are expected to play a major role in the Fifth
generation of mobile networks. They offer a potential multi-gigabit throughput
and an ultra-low radio latency, but at the same time suffer from high isotropic
pathloss, and a coverage area much smaller than the one of LTE macrocells. In
order to address these issues, highly directional beamforming and a very
high-density deployment of mmWave base stations were proposed. This Thesis aims
to improve the reliability and performance of the 5G network by studying its
tight and seamless integration with the current LTE cellular network. In
particular, the LTE base stations can provide a coverage layer for 5G mobile
terminals, because they operate on microWave frequencies, which are less
sensitive to blockage and have a lower pathloss. This document is a copy of the
Master's Thesis carried out by Mr. Michele Polese under the supervision of Dr.
Marco Mezzavilla and Prof. Michele Zorzi. It will propose an LTE-5G tight
integration architecture, based on mobile terminals' dual connectivity to LTE
and 5G radio access networks, and will evaluate which are the new network
procedures that will be needed to support it. Moreover, this new architecture
will be implemented in the ns-3 simulator, and a thorough simulation campaign
will be conducted in order to evaluate its performance, with respect to the
baseline of handover between LTE and 5G.Comment: Master's Thesis carried out by Mr. Michele Polese under the
supervision of Dr. Marco Mezzavilla and Prof. Michele Zorz
Fast Cell Discovery in mm-wave 5G Networks with Context Information
The exploitation of mm-wave bands is one of the key-enabler for 5G mobile
radio networks. However, the introduction of mm-wave technologies in cellular
networks is not straightforward due to harsh propagation conditions that limit
the mm-wave access availability. Mm-wave technologies require high-gain antenna
systems to compensate for high path loss and limited power. As a consequence,
directional transmissions must be used for cell discovery and synchronization
processes: this can lead to a non-negligible access delay caused by the
exploration of the cell area with multiple transmissions along different
directions.
The integration of mm-wave technologies and conventional wireless access
networks with the objective of speeding up the cell search process requires new
5G network architectural solutions. Such architectures introduce a functional
split between C-plane and U-plane, thereby guaranteeing the availability of a
reliable signaling channel through conventional wireless technologies that
provides the opportunity to collect useful context information from the network
edge.
In this article, we leverage the context information related to user
positions to improve the directional cell discovery process. We investigate
fundamental trade-offs of this process and the effects of the context
information accuracy on the overall system performance. We also cope with
obstacle obstructions in the cell area and propose an approach based on a
geo-located context database where information gathered over time is stored to
guide future searches. Analytic models and numerical results are provided to
validate proposed strategies.Comment: 14 pages, submitted to IEEE Transaction on Mobile Computin
End-to-End Simulation of 5G mmWave Networks
Due to its potential for multi-gigabit and low latency wireless links,
millimeter wave (mmWave) technology is expected to play a central role in 5th
generation cellular systems. While there has been considerable progress in
understanding the mmWave physical layer, innovations will be required at all
layers of the protocol stack, in both the access and the core network.
Discrete-event network simulation is essential for end-to-end, cross-layer
research and development. This paper provides a tutorial on a recently
developed full-stack mmWave module integrated into the widely used open-source
ns--3 simulator. The module includes a number of detailed statistical channel
models as well as the ability to incorporate real measurements or ray-tracing
data. The Physical (PHY) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers are modular and
highly customizable, making it easy to integrate algorithms or compare
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) numerologies, for example.
The module is interfaced with the core network of the ns--3 Long Term Evolution
(LTE) module for full-stack simulations of end-to-end connectivity, and
advanced architectural features, such as dual-connectivity, are also available.
To facilitate the understanding of the module, and verify its correct
functioning, we provide several examples that show the performance of the
custom mmWave stack as well as custom congestion control algorithms designed
specifically for efficient utilization of the mmWave channel.Comment: 25 pages, 16 figures, submitted to IEEE Communications Surveys and
Tutorials (revised Jan. 2018
Improved Handover Through Dual Connectivity in 5G mmWave Mobile Networks
The millimeter wave (mmWave) bands offer the possibility of orders of
magnitude greater throughput for fifth generation (5G) cellular systems.
However, since mmWave signals are highly susceptible to blockage, channel
quality on any one mmWave link can be extremely intermittent. This paper
implements a novel dual connectivity protocol that enables mobile user
equipment (UE) devices to maintain physical layer connections to 4G and 5G
cells simultaneously. A novel uplink control signaling system combined with a
local coordinator enables rapid path switching in the event of failures on any
one link. This paper provides the first comprehensive end-to-end evaluation of
handover mechanisms in mmWave cellular systems. The simulation framework
includes detailed measurement-based channel models to realistically capture
spatial dynamics of blocking events, as well as the full details of MAC, RLC
and transport protocols. Compared to conventional handover mechanisms, the
study reveals significant benefits of the proposed method under several
metrics.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, to appear on the 2017 IEEE JSAC Special Issue
on Millimeter Wave Communications for Future Mobile Network
3-D Statistical Channel Model for Millimeter-Wave Outdoor Mobile Broadband Communications
This paper presents an omnidirectional spatial and temporal 3-dimensional
statistical channel model for 28 GHz dense urban non-line of sight
environments. The channel model is developed from 28 GHz ultrawideband
propagation measurements obtained with a 400 megachips per second broadband
sliding correlator channel sounder and highly directional, steerable horn
antennas in New York City. A 3GPP-like statistical channel model that is easy
to implement in software or hardware is developed from measured power delay
profiles and a synthesized method for providing absolute propagation delays
recovered from 3-D ray-tracing, as well as measured angle of departure and
angle of arrival power spectra. The extracted statistics are used to implement
a MATLAB-based statistical simulator that generates 3-D millimeter-wave
temporal and spatial channel coefficients that reproduce realistic impulse
responses of measured urban channels. The methods and model presented here can
be used for millimeter-wave system-wide simulations, and air interface design
and capacity analyses.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, ICC 2015 (London, UK, to appear
On the Temporal Effects of Mobile Blockers in Urban Millimeter-Wave Cellular Scenarios
Millimeter-wave (mmWave) propagation is known to be severely affected by the
blockage of the line-of-sight (LoS) path. In contrast to microwave systems, at
shorter mmWave wavelengths such blockage can be caused by human bodies, where
their mobility within environment makes wireless channel alternate between the
blocked and non-blocked LoS states. Following the recent 3GPP requirements on
modeling the dynamic blockage as well as the temporal consistency of the
channel at mmWave frequencies, in this paper a new model for predicting the
state of a user in the presence of mobile blockers for representative 3GPP
scenarios is developed: urban micro cell (UMi) street canyon and
park/stadium/square. It is demonstrated that the blockage effects produce an
alternating renewal process with exponentially distributed non-blocked
intervals, and blocked durations that follow the general distribution. The
following metrics are derived (i) the mean and the fraction of time spent in
blocked/non-blocked state, (ii) the residual blocked/non-blocked time, and
(iii) the time-dependent conditional probability of having blockage/no blockage
at time t1 given that there was blockage/no blockage at time t0. The latter is
a function of the arrival rate (intensity), width, and height of moving
blockers, distance to the mmWave access point (AP), as well as the heights of
the AP and the user device. The proposed model can be used for system-level
characterization of mmWave cellular communication systems. For example, the
optimal height and the maximum coverage radius of the mmWave APs are derived,
while satisfying the required mean data rate constraint. The system-level
simulations corroborate that the use of the proposed method considerably
reduces the modeling complexity.Comment: Accepted, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technolog
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