Separation Framework: An Enabler for Cooperative and D2D Communication for Future 5G Networks

Soaring capacity and coverage demands dictate that future cellular networks need to soon migrate towards ultra-dense networks. However, network densification comes with a host of challenges that include compromised energy efficiency, complex interference management, cumbersome mobility management, burdensome signaling overheads and higher backhaul costs. Interestingly, most of the problems, that beleaguer network densification, stem from legacy networks' one common feature i.e., tight coupling between the control and data planes regardless of their degree of heterogeneity and cell density. Consequently, in wake of 5G, control and data planes separation architecture (SARC) has recently been conceived as a promising paradigm that has potential to address most of aforementioned challenges. In this article, we review various proposals that have been presented in literature so far to enable SARC. More specifically, we analyze how and to what degree various SARC proposals address the four main challenges in network densification namely: energy efficiency, system level capacity maximization, interference management and mobility management. We then focus on two salient features of future cellular networks that have not yet been adapted in legacy networks at wide scale and thus remain a hallmark of 5G, i.e., coordinated multipoint (CoMP), and device-to-device (D2D) communications. After providing necessary background on CoMP and D2D, we analyze how SARC can particularly act as a major enabler for CoMP and D2D in context of 5G. This article thus serves as both a tutorial as well as an up to date survey on SARC, CoMP and D2D. Most importantly, the article provides an extensive outlook of challenges and opportunities that lie at the crossroads of these three mutually entangled emerging technologies.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures, IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials 201

User Association in 5G Networks: A Survey and an Outlook

26 pages; accepted to appear in IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorial

Distributed Energy and Resource Management for Full-Duplex Dense Small Cells for 5G

We consider a multi-carrier and densely deployed small cell network, where small cells are powered by renewable energy source and operate in a full-duplex mode. We formulate an energy and traffic aware resource allocation optimization problem, where a joint design of the beamformers, power and sub-carrier allocation, and users scheduling is proposed. The problem minimizes the sum data buffer lengths of each user in the network by using the harvested energy. A practical uplink user rate-dependent decoding energy consumption is included in the total energy consumption at the small cell base stations. Hence, harvested energy is shared with both downlink and uplink users. Owing to the non-convexity of the problem, a faster convergence sub-optimal algorithm based on successive parametric convex approximation framework is proposed. The algorithm is implemented in a distributed fashion, by using the alternating direction method of multipliers, which offers not only the limited information exchange between the base stations, but also fast convergence. Numerical results advocate the redesigning of the resource allocation strategy when the energy at the base station is shared among the downlink and uplink transmissions.Comment: In Proc. of IEEE IWCMC-2017, Valencia, Spain, Jun. 201

Green Cellular Networks: A Survey, Some Research Issues and Challenges

Energy efficiency in cellular networks is a growing concern for cellular operators to not only maintain profitability, but also to reduce the overall environment effects. This emerging trend of achieving energy efficiency in cellular networks is motivating the standardization authorities and network operators to continuously explore future technologies in order to bring improvements in the entire network infrastructure. In this article, we present a brief survey of methods to improve the power efficiency of cellular networks, explore some research issues and challenges and suggest some techniques to enable an energy efficient or "green" cellular network. Since base stations consume a maximum portion of the total energy used in a cellular system, we will first provide a comprehensive survey on techniques to obtain energy savings in base stations. Next, we discuss how heterogeneous network deployment based on micro, pico and femto-cells can be used to achieve this goal. Since cognitive radio and cooperative relaying are undisputed future technologies in this regard, we propose a research vision to make these technologies more energy efficient. Lastly, we explore some broader perspectives in realizing a "green" cellular network technologyComment: 16 pages, 5 figures, 2 table