1,076 research outputs found
Millimeter Wave Cellular Networks: A MAC Layer Perspective
The millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency band is seen as a key enabler of
multi-gigabit wireless access in future cellular networks. In order to overcome
the propagation challenges, mmWave systems use a large number of antenna
elements both at the base station and at the user equipment, which lead to high
directivity gains, fully-directional communications, and possible noise-limited
operations. The fundamental differences between mmWave networks and traditional
ones challenge the classical design constraints, objectives, and available
degrees of freedom. This paper addresses the implications that highly
directional communication has on the design of an efficient medium access
control (MAC) layer. The paper discusses key MAC layer issues, such as
synchronization, random access, handover, channelization, interference
management, scheduling, and association. The paper provides an integrated view
on MAC layer issues for cellular networks, identifies new challenges and
tradeoffs, and provides novel insights and solution approaches.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, to appear in IEEE Transactions on
Communication
A Centralized SDN Architecture for the 5G Cellular Network
In order to meet the increasing demands of high data rate and low latency
cellular broadband applications, plans are underway to roll out the Fifth
Generation (5G) cellular wireless system by the year 2020. This paper proposes
a novel method for adapting the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)'s
5G architecture to the principles of Software Defined Networking (SDN). We
propose to have centralized network functions in the 5G network core to control
the network, end-to-end. This is achieved by relocating the control
functionality present in the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) to the network core,
resulting in the conversion of the base station known as the gNB into a pure
data plane node. This brings about a significant reduction in signaling costs
between the RAN and the core network. It also results in improved system
performance. The merits of our proposal have been illustrated by evaluating the
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the 5G network, such as network attach
(registration) time and handover time. We have also demonstrated improvements
in attach time and system throughput due to the use of centralized algorithms
for mobility management with the help of ns-3 simulations
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
A Comprehensive Survey on Moving Networks
The unprecedented increase in the demand for mobile data, fuelled by new
emerging applications such as HD video streaming and heightened online
activities has caused massive strain on the existing cellular networks. As a
solution, the 5G technology has been introduced to improve network performance
through various innovative features such as mmWave spectrum and HetNets. In
essence, HetNets include several small cells underlaid within macro-cell to
serve densely populated regions. Recently, a mobile layer of HetNet has been
under consideration by the researchers and is often referred to as moving
networks. Moving networks comprise of mobile cells that are primarily
introduced to improve QoS for commuting users inside public transport because
the QoS is deteriorated due to vehicular penetration losses. Furthermore, the
users inside fast moving public transport also exert excessive load on the core
network due to large group handovers. To this end, mobile cells will play a
crucial role in reducing overall handover count and will help in alleviating
these problems by decoupling in-vehicle users from the core network.
To date, remarkable research results have been achieved by the research
community in addressing challenges linked to moving networks. However, to the
best of our knowledge, a discussion on moving networks in a holistic way is
missing in the current literature. To fill the gap, in this paper, we
comprehensively survey moving networks. We cover the technological aspects and
their applications in the futuristic applications. We also discuss the
use-cases and value additions that moving networks may bring to future cellular
architecture and identify the challenges associated with them. Based on the
identified challenges we discuss the future research directions.Comment: This survey has been submitted to IEEE Communications Surveys &
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