A novel optimal small cells deployment for next-generation cellular networks

Small-cell-deployments have pulled cellular operators to boost coverage and capacity in high-demand areas (for example, downtown hot spots). The location of these small cells (SCs) should be determined in order to achieve successful deployments. In this paper, we propose a new approach that optimizes small cells deployment in cellular networks to achieve three objectives: reduce the total cost of network installation, balancing the allocation of resources, i.e. placement of each SC and their transmitted power, and providing optimal coverage area with a lower amount of interference between adjacent stations. An accurate formula was obtained to determine the optimum number of SC deployment (NSC). Finally, we derive a mathematical expression to calculate the critical-handoff-point (CHP) for neighboring wireless stations

Access Network Selection in Heterogeneous Networks

The future Heterogeneous Wireless Network (HWN) is composed of multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs), therefore new Radio Resource Management (RRM) schemes and mechanisms are necessary to benefit from the individual characteristics of each RAT and to exploit the gain resulting from jointly considering the whole set of the available radio resources in each RAT. These new RRM schemes have to support mobile users who can access more than one RAT alternatively or simultaneously using a multi-mode terminal. An important RRM consideration for overall HWN stability, resource utilization, user satisfaction, and Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning is the selection of the most optimal and promising Access Network (AN) for a new service request. The RRM mechanism that is responsible for selecting the most optimal and promising AN for a new service request in the HWN is called the initial Access Network Selection (ANS). This thesis explores the issue of ANS in the HWN. Several ANS solutions that attempt to increase the user satisfaction, the operator benefits, and the QoS are designed, implemented, and evaluated. The thesis first presents a comprehensive foundation for the initial ANS in the H\VN. Then, the thesis analyses and develops a generic framework for solving the ANS problem and any other similar optimized selection problem. The advantages and strengths of the developed framework are discussed. Combined Fuzzy Logic (FL), Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and Genetic Algorithms (GA) are used to give the developed framework the required scalability, flexibility, and simplicity. The developed framework is used to present and design several novel ANS algorithms that consider the user, the operator, and the QoS view points. Different numbers of RATs, MCDM tools, and FL inference system types are used in each algorithm. A suitable simulation models over the HWN with a new set of performance evolution metrics for the ANS solution are designed and implemented. The simulation results show that the new algorithms have better and more robust performance over the random, the service type, and the terminal speed based selection algorithms that are used as reference algorithms. Our novel algorithms outperform the reference algorithms in- terms of the percentage of the satisfied users who are assigned to the network of their preferences and the percentage of the users who are assigned to networks with stronger signal strength. The new algorithms maximize the operator benefits by saving the high cost network resources and utilizing the usage of the low cost network resources. Usually better results are achieved by assigning the weights using the GA optional component in the implemented algorithms

Quality-Oriented Mobility Management for Multimedia Content Delivery to Mobile Users

The heterogeneous wireless networking environment determined by the latest developments in wireless access technologies promises a high level of communication resources for mobile computational devices. Although the communication resources provided, especially referring to bandwidth, enable multimedia streaming to mobile users, maintaining a high user perceived quality is still a challenging task. The main factors which affect quality in multimedia streaming over wireless networks are mainly the error-prone nature of the wireless channels and the user mobility. These factors determine a high level of dynamics of wireless communication resources, namely variations in throughput and packet loss as well as network availability and delays in delivering the data packets. Under these conditions maintaining a high level of quality, as perceived by the user, requires a quality oriented mobility management scheme. Consequently we propose the Smooth Adaptive Soft-Handover Algorithm, a novel quality oriented handover management scheme which unlike other similar solutions, smoothly transfer the data traffic from one network to another using multiple simultaneous connections. To estimate the capacity of each connection the novel Quality of Multimedia Streaming (QMS) metric is proposed. The QMS metric aims at offering maximum flexibility and efficiency allowing the applications to fine tune the behavior of the handover algorithm. The current simulation-based performance evaluation clearly shows the better performance of the proposed Smooth Adaptive Soft-Handover Algorithm as compared with other handover solutions. The evaluation was performed in various scenarios including multiple mobile hosts performing handover simultaneously, wireless networks with variable overlapping areas, and various network congestion levels

The Role of Physical Layer Security in Satellite-Based Networks

In the coming years, 6G will revolutionize the world with a large amount of bandwidth, high data rates, and extensive coverage in remote and rural areas. These goals can only be achieved by integrating terrestrial networks with non-terrestrial networks. On the other hand, these advancements are raising more concerns than other wireless links about malicious attacks on satellite-terrestrial links due to their openness. Over the years, physical layer security (PLS) has emerged as a good candidate to deal with security threats by exploring the randomness of wireless channels. In this direction, this paper reviews how PLS methods are implemented in satellite communications. Firstly, we discuss the ongoing research on satellite-based networks by highlighting the key points in the literature. Then, we revisit the research activities on PLS in satellite-based networks by categorizing the different system architectures. Finally, we highlight research directions and opportunities to leverage the PLS in future satellite-based networks

Soluções de broadcast para redes 4G

Mestrado em Engenharia Electrónica e de TelecomunicaçõesA primeira difusão de conteúdos video e audio teve um forte impacto no quotidiano da população que assistiu a uma revolução nos modelos de transmissão de informação e de entretenimento. A evolução desde então foi significativa, e já na era digital, encontramo-nos face a uma nova sub-elevação da metodologia e do conceito subjacentes à transmissão de conteudos multimédia. O mundo actual apresenta, contudo, diferentes requisitos, de entre os quais se destacam a procura pela alta definição e mobilidade. A mobilidade tem sido um particular foco de atenção por parte dos operadores que exploram agora modelos para entregar uma vasta gama de serviços que sejam atractivos para os utilizadores. Esta dissertação apresenta um sumário das tecnologias emergentes de broadcast que se distinguem nas várias partes do mundo com a sua particular incidência geográfica, características e cenários de aplicação. É ainda apresentada uma arquitectura 4G abordando assuntos inerentes à mobilidade e qualidade de serviço com particular incidência nos aspectos relacionados com a integração de uma tecnologia de broadcast particular. Para avaliação da arquitectura proposta foram efectuados estudos com base num equipamento de broadcast na sua versão comercial, permitindo desta forma obter uma análise que ilustra o que os operadores podem esperar do estado actual dos dispositivos. Os resultados permitiram retirar ilações sobre o comportamento de um equipamento considerado como um produto final a disponibilizar aos operadores, quando integrado num ambiente 4G com suporte de mobilidade e QoS. Nomeadamente é discutida a sua aplicabildiade tendo em linha de conta as desvantagens introduzidas pelas características inerentes à própria tecnologia.Broadcast of video and audio through analogical television completely changed the paradigm of information and entertainment divulgation. Today, in the “digital era”, the Analogue Switch Off revolution is being held. Manufacturers and operators already show concerns regarding the support of mobility, quality of experience and of service. Delivering competitive High Definition contents and providing solutions for the average “on-the-move” user are two of the most important issues to be dealt by the service providers, which are also within the analysis scope of this work. This dissertation presents an overview on the most relevant broadcast technologies which are assumed to be of relative acceptance in their respective target market. It presents their main characteristics and applicability. 4G architectural concepts are also analyzed, closely dealing with mobility and quality of service provisioning, with particular focus on the seamless integration of broadcast technologies. As a mean to evaluate the feasibility of integrating broadcast technologies with 4G architectures, a performance evaluation study was performed using commercial equipment. In this way a several set of considerations constructed illustrating the features and functionalities which operators can expect or disregard from professional commercial broadcasting devices. Results allow the withdrawing of conclusions concerning the integration of a final broadcasting solution when incorporated within a 4G environment with QoS and mobility support. Its applicability is evaluated having in mind the performance drawbacks introduced by the specific technology, and generalized towards the gathering of more general conclusions which consider the main characteristics of the commercial broadcasting devices

Media independent handovers : network selection for mobile IP nodes in heterogeneous wireless networks

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-82).In Next Generation Networks (NGN), also known as 4G, Beyond 3G, Converged, Integrated and Interworked Network, user node mobility in wireless and wired environments will seamlessly cross disparate network boundaries. The effort to offer ubiquitous computing, providing access to services anywhere and anytime, strongly encourages the ability to roam across the different existing and future networks. Literature shows investigation of concepts such as Always Best Connected (ABC) when heterogeneous networks co-exist , which will work or compete with other schemes like Home Network Default (HND), Compatibility and Network Operator Agreements (CNOA) to guide network selection or access . With the variety of available networks, the mobile node may be faced with having to decide which network to connect to. We concentrate on the network selection aspects of these envisaged mobile, overlay and integrated environment in heterogeneous networks. The standard developments by the IEEE802.21 Working group and the IETF Networking group form the base of our approach that seeks to see mobility across heterogeneous networks a reality. We propose an IEEE802.21 Media Independent Handover Function (MIHF) based network discovery and network selection, leading to a handover. The selection may be further assisted by an MIHF capable Broker Node that is Third party to the Network Providers to provide a central yet distributed database of the available networks as encountered by the Mobile Node, to cater for Nodes with no prior knowledge of networks and software repository. A Mobile Node (MN) in our solution uses 802.21 communication messages to obtain information about foreign networks encountered before selecting the networks to connect to. Our evaluation through simulations, shows that network selection in heterogeneous wireless networks environment for the appropriately equipped devices is greatly enhanced by the use of the Media Independent Handover Protocol. In scenarios where the mobile node has no prior knowledge of the encountered different network architectures, the use of a Broker node can, for an optimal number of available networks also greatly enhance the mobile node’s network selection by reducing the delay associated and the packet losses incurred

From Sensing to Predictions and Database Technique: A Review of TV White Space Information Acquisition in Cognitive Radio Networks

Strategies to acquire white space information is the single most significant functionality in cognitive radio networks (CRNs) and as such, it has gone some evolution to enhance information accuracy. The evolution trends are spectrum sensing, prediction algorithm and recently, geo-location database technique. Previously, spectrum sensing was the main technique for detecting the presence/absence of a primary user (PU) signal in a given radio frequency (RF) spectrum. However, this expectation could not materialized as a result of numerous technical challenges ranging from hardware imperfections to RF signal impairments. To convey the evolutionary trends in the development of white space information, we present a survey of the contemporary advancements in PU detection with emphasis on the practical deployment of CRNs i.e. Television white space (TVWS) networks. It is found that geo-location database is the most reliable technique to acquire TVWS information although, it is financially driven. Finally, using financially driven database model, this study compared the data-rate and spectral efficiency of FCC and Ofcom TV channelization. It was discovered that Ofcom TV channelization outperforms FCC TV channelization as a result of having higher spectrum bandwidth. We proposed the adoption of an all-inclusive TVWS information acquisition model as the future research direction for TVWS information acquisition techniques