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

A distributed approach to underwater acoustic communications

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 2003A novel distributed underwater acoustic networking (UAN) protocol suitable for ad-hoc deployments of both stationary and mobile nodes dispersed across a relatively wide coverage area is presented. Nodes are dynamically clustered in a distributed manner based on the estimated position of one-hop neighbor nodes within a shallow water environment. The spatial dynamic cellular clustering scheme allows scalable communication resource allocation and channel reuse similar in design to land-based cellular architectures, except devoid of the need for a centralized controlling infrastructure. Simulation results demonstrate that relatively high degrees of interference immunity, network connectivity, and network stability can be achieved despite the severe limitations of the underwater acoustic channel

LTE-verkon suorituskyvyn parantaminen CDMA2000:sta LTE:hen tehdyn muutoksen jälkeen

CDMA2000 technology has been widely used on 450 MHz band. Recently the equipment availability and improved performance offered by LTE has started driving the operators to migrate their networks from CDMA2000 to LTE. The migration may cause the network performance to be in suboptimal state. This thesis presents four methods to positively influence LTE network performance after CDMA2000 to LTE migration, especially on 450 MHz band. Furthermore, three of the four presented methods are evaluated in a live network. The measured three methods were cyclic prefix length, handover parameter optimization and uplink coordinated multipoint (CoMP) transmission. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of each method. The research methods included field measurements and network KPI collection. The results show that normal cyclic prefix length is enough for LTE450 although the cell radius may be up to 50km. Only special cases exist where cyclic prefix should be extended. Operators should consider solving such problems individually instead of widely implementing extended cyclic prefix. Handover parameter optimization turned out to be an important point of attention after CDMA2000 to LTE migration. It was observed that if the handover parameters are not concerned, significant amount of unnecessary handovers may happen. It was evaluated that about 50% of the handovers in the network were unnecessary in the initial situation. By adjusting the handover parameter values 47,28 % of the handovers per user were removed and no negative effects were detected. Coordinated multipoint transmission has been widely discussed to be an effective way to improve LTE network performance, especially at the cell edges. Many challenges must be overcome before it can be applied to downlink. Also, implementing it to function between cells in different eNBs involve challenges. Thus, only intra-site uplink CoMP transmission was tested. The results show that the performance improvements were significant at the cell edges as theory predicted.CDMA2000 teknologiaa on laajalti käytetty 450 MHz:n taajuusalueella. Viime aikoina LTE:n tarjoamat halvemmat laitteistot ja parempi suorituskyky ovat kannustaneet operaattoreita muuttamaan verkkoaan CDMA2000:sta LTE:hen. Kyseinen muutos saattaa johtaa epäoptimaaliseen tilaan verkon suorituskyvyn kannalta. Tämä työ esittelee neljä menetelmää, joilla voidaan positiivisesti vaikuttaa LTE-verkon suorituskykyyn CDMA2000:ste LTE:hen tehdyn muutoksen jälkeen erityisesti 450 MHz:n taajuusalueella. Kolmea näistä menetelmistä arvioidaan tuotantoverkossa. Nämä kolme menetelmää ovat suojavälin pituus, solunvaihtoparametrien optimointi ja ylälinkin koordinoitu monipistetiedonsiirto. Tavoite oli määrittää kunkin menetelmän vaikutus. Tutkimusmenetelmiin kuului kenttämittaukset ja verkon suorituskykymittareiden analyysi. Tutkimustulosten perusteella voidaan sanoa, että normaali suojaväli on riittävän pitkä LTE450:lle vaikka solujen säde on jopa 50km. Vain erikoistapauksissa tarvitaan pidennettyä suojaväliä. Operaattoreiden tulisi ratkaista tällaiset tapaukset yksilöllisesti sen sijaan, että koko verkossa käytettäisiin pidennettyä suojaväliä. Solunvaihtoparametrien optimointi osoittautui tärkeäksi huomion aiheeksi CDMA2000:sta LTE:hen tehdyn muutoksen jälkeen. Turhia solunvaihtoja saattaa tapahtua merkittäviä määriä, mikäli parametreihin ei kiinnitetä huomiota. Lähtötilanteessa noin 50 % testiverkon solunvaihdoista arvioitiin olevan turhia. Solunvaihtoparametreja muuttamalla 47,28 % solunvaihdoista per käyttäjä saatiin poistettua ilman, että mitään haittavaikutuksia olisi huomattu. Koordinoidun monipistetiedonsiirron on laajalti sanottu olevan tehokas tapa parantaa LTE-verkon suorituskykyä, etenkin solujen reunoilla. Monia haasteita pitää ratkaista, enne kuin sitä voidaan käyttää alalinkin tiedonsiirtoon. Lisäksi sen käyttöön eri tukiasemien solujen välillä liittyy haasteita. Tästä syystä monipistetiedonsiirtoa voitiin testata vain ylälinkin suuntaan ja vain yhden tukiaseman välisten solujen kesken. Tulokset osoittivat, että suorituskyky parani merkittävästi solun reunalla

D 3. 3 Final performance results and consolidated view on the most promising multi -node/multi -antenna transmission technologies

This document provides the most recent updates on the technical contributions and research challenges focused in WP3. Each Technology Component (TeC) has been evaluated under possible uniform assessment framework of WP3 which is based on the simulation guidelines of WP6. The performance assessment is supported by the simulation results which are in their mature and stable state. An update on the Most Promising Technology Approaches (MPTAs) and their associated TeCs is the main focus of this document. Based on the input of all the TeCs in WP3, a consolidated view of WP3 on the role of multinode/multi-antenna transmission technologies in 5G systems has also been provided. This consolidated view is further supported in this document by the presentation of the impact of MPTAs on METIS scenarios and the addressed METIS goals.Aziz, D.; Baracca, P.; De Carvalho, E.; Fantini, R.; Rajatheva, N.; Popovski, P.; Sørensen, JH.... (2015). D 3. 3 Final performance results and consolidated view on the most promising multi -node/multi -antenna transmission technologies. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/7675

Ultra Dense Networks Deployment for beyond 2020 Technologies

A new communication paradigm is foreseen for beyond 2020 society, due to the emergence of new broadband services and the Internet of Things era. The set of requirements imposed by these new applications is large and diverse, aiming to provide a ubiquitous broadband connectivity. Research community has been working in the last decade towards the definition of the 5G mobile wireless networks that will provide the proper mechanisms to reach these challenging requirements. In this framework, three key research directions have been identified for the improvement of capacity in 5G: the increase of the spectral efficiency by means of, for example, the use of massive MIMO technology, the use of larger amounts of spectrum by utilizing the millimeter wave band, and the network densification by deploying more base stations per unit area. This dissertation addresses densification as the main enabler for the broadband and massive connectivity required in future 5G networks. To this aim, this Thesis focuses on the study of the UDN. In particular, a set of technology enablers that can lead UDN to achieve their maximum efficiency and performance are investigated, namely, the use of higher frequency bands for the benefit of larger bandwidths, the use of massive MIMO with distributed antenna systems, and the use of distributed radio resource management techniques for the inter-cell interference coordination. Firstly, this Thesis analyzes whether there exists a fundamental performance limit related with densification in cellular networks. To this end, the UDN performance is evaluated by means of an analytical model consisting of a 1-dimensional network deployment with equally spaced BS. The inter-BS distance is decreased until reaching the limit of densification when this distance approaches 0. The achievable rates in networks with different inter-BS distances are analyzed for several levels of transmission power availability, and for various types of cooperation among cells. Moreover, UDN performance is studied in conjunction with the use of a massive number of antennas and larger amounts of spectrum. In particular, the performance of hybrid beamforming and precoding MIMO schemes are assessed in both indoor and outdoor scenarios with multiple cells and users, working in the mmW frequency band. On the one hand, beamforming schemes using the full-connected hybrid architecture are analyzed in BS with limited number of RF chains, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of these schemes in a dense-urban scenario. On the other hand, the performance of different indoor deployment strategies using HP in the mmW band is evaluated, focusing on the use of DAS. More specifically, a DHP suitable for DAS is proposed, comparing its performance with that of HP in other indoor deployment strategies. Lastly, the presence of practical limitations and hardware impairments in the use of hybrid architectures is also investigated. Finally, the investigation of UDN is completed with the study of their main limitation, which is the increasing inter-cell interference in the network. In order to tackle this problem, an eICIC scheduling algorithm based on resource partitioning techniques is proposed. Its performance is evaluated and compared to other scheduling algorithms under several degrees of network densification. After the completion of this study, the potential of UDN to reach the capacity requirements of 5G networks is confirmed. Nevertheless, without the use of larger portions of spectrum, a proper interference management and the use of a massive number of antennas, densification could turn into a serious problem for mobile operators. Performance evaluation results show large system capacity gains with the use of massive MIMO techniques in UDN, and even greater when the antennas are distributed. Furthermore, the application of ICIC techniques reveals that, besides the increase in system capacity, it brings significant energy savings to UDNs.A partir del año 2020 se prevé que un nuevo paradigma de comunicación surja en la sociedad, debido a la aparición de nuevos servicios y la era del Internet de las cosas. El conjunto de requisitos impuesto por estas nuevas aplicaciones es muy amplio y diverso, y tiene como principal objetivo proporcionar conectividad de banda ancha y universal. En las últimas décadas, la comunidad científica ha estado trabajando en la definición de la 5G de redes móviles que brindará los mecanismos necesarios para garantizar estos requisitos. En este marco, se han identificado tres mecanismos clave para conseguir el necesario incremento de capacidad de la red: el aumento de la eficiencia espectral a través de, por ejemplo, el uso de tecnologías MIMO masivas, la utilización de mayores porciones del espectro en frecuencia y la densificación de la red mediante el despliegue de más estaciones base por área. Esta Tesis doctoral aborda la densificación como el principal mecanismo que permitirá la conectividad de banda ancha y universal requerida en la 5G, centrándose en el estudio de las Redes Ultra Densas o UDNs. En concreto, se analiza el conjunto de tecnologías habilitantes que pueden llevar a las UDNs a obtener su máxima eficiencia y prestaciones, incluyendo el uso de altas frecuencias para el aprovechamiento de mayores anchos de banda, la utilización de MIMO masivo con sistemas de antenas distribuidas y el uso de técnicas de reparto de recursos distribuidas para la coordinación de interferencias. En primer lugar, se analiza si existe un límite fundamental en la mejora de las prestaciones en relación a la densificación. Con este fin, las prestaciones de las UDNs se evalúan utilizando un modelo analítico de red unidimensional con BSs equiespaciadas, en el que la distancia entre BSs se disminuye hasta alcanzar el límite de densificación cuando ésta se aproxima a 0. Las tasas alcanzables en redes con distintas distancias entre BSs son analizadas, considerando distintos niveles de potencia disponible en la red y varios grados de cooperación entre celdas. Además, el comportamiento de las UDNs se estudia junto al uso masivo de antenas y la utilización de anchos de banda mayores. Más concretamente, las prestaciones de ciertas técnicas híbridas MIMO de precodificación y beamforming se examinan en la banda milimétrica. Por una parte, se analizan esquemas de beamforming en BSs con arquitectura híbrida en función de la disponibilidad de cadenas de radiofrecuencia en escenarios exteriores. Por otra parte, se evalúan las prestaciones de ciertos esquemas de precodificación híbrida en escenarios interiores, utilizando distintos despliegues y centrando la atención en los sistemas de antenas distribuidos o DAS. Además, se propone un algoritmo de precodificación híbrida específico para DAS, y se evalúan y comparan sus prestaciones con las de otros algoritmos de precodificación utilizados. Por último, se investiga el impacto en las prestaciones de ciertas limitaciones prácticas y deficiencias introducidas por el uso de dispositivos no ideales. Finalmente, el estudio de las UDNs se completa con el análisis de su principal limitación, el nivel creciente de interferencia en la red. Para ello, se propone un algoritmo de control de interferencias basado en la partición de recursos. Sus prestaciones son evaluadas y comparadas con las de otras técnicas de asignación de recursos. Tras este estudio, se puede afirmar que las UDNs tienen gran potencial para la consecución de los requisitos de la 5G. Sin embargo, sin el uso conjunto de mayores porciones del espectro, adecuadas técnicas de control de la interferencia y el uso masivo de antenas, las UDNs pueden convertirse en serios obstáculos para los operadores móviles. Los resultados de la evaluación de prestaciones de estas tecnologías confirman el gran aumento de la capacidad de las redes mediante el uso masivo de antenas y la introducción de mecanismos de IA partir de l'any 2020 es preveu un nou paradigma de comunicació en la societat, degut a l'aparició de nous serveis i la era de la Internet de les coses. El conjunt de requeriments imposat per aquestes noves aplicacions és ampli i divers, i té com a principal objectiu proporcionar connectivitat universal i de banda ampla. En les últimes dècades, la comunitat científica ha estat treballant en la definició de la 5G, que proveirà els mecanismes necessaris per a garantir aquests exigents requeriments. En aquest marc, s'han identificat tres mecanismes claus per a aconseguir l'increment necessari en la capacitat: l'augment de l'eficiència espectral a través de, per exemple, l'ús de tecnologies MIMO massives, la utilització de majors porcions de l'espectre i la densificació mitjançant el desplegament de més estacions base per àrea. Aquesta Tesi aborda la densificació com a principal mecanisme que permetrà la connectivitat de banda ampla i universal requerida en la 5G, centrant-se en l' estudi de les xarxes ultra denses (UDNs). Concretament, el conjunt de tecnologies que poden dur a les UDNs a la seua màxima eficiència i prestacions és analitzat, incloent l'ús d'altes freqüències per a l'aprofitament de majors amplàries de banda, la utilització de MIMO massiu amb sistemes d'antenes distribuïdes i l'ús de tècniques distribuïdes de repartiment de recursos per a la coordinació de la interferència. En primer lloc, aquesta Tesi analitza si existeix un límit fonamental en les prestacions en relació a la densificació. Per això, les prestacions de les UDNs s'avaluen utilitzant un model analític unidimensional amb estacions base equidistants, en les quals la distància entre estacions base es redueix fins assolir el límit de densificació quan aquesta distància s'aproxima a 0. Les taxes assolibles en xarxes amb diferents distàncies entre estacions base s'analitzen considerant diferents nivells de potència i varis graus de cooperació entre cel·les. A més, el comportament de les UDNs s'estudia conjuntament amb l'ús massiu d'antenes i la utilització de majors amplàries de banda. Més concretament, les prestacions de certes tècniques híbrides MIMO de precodificació i beamforming s'examinen en la banda mil·limètrica. D'una banda, els esquemes de beamforming aplicats a estacions base amb arquitectures híbrides és analitzat amb disponibilitat limitada de cadenes de radiofreqüència a un escenari urbà dens. D'altra banda, s'avaluen les prestacions de certs esquemes de precodificació híbrida en escenaris d'interior, utilitzant diferents estratègies de desplegament i centrant l'atenció en els sistemes d' antenes distribuïdes (DAS). A més, es proposa un algoritme de precodificació híbrida distribuïda per a DAS, i s'avaluen i comparen les seues prestacions amb les de altres algoritmes. Per últim, s'investiga l'impacte de les limitacions pràctiques i altres deficiències introduïdes per l'ús de dispositius no ideals en les prestacions de tots els esquemes anteriors. Finalment, l' estudi de les UDNs es completa amb l'anàlisi de la seua principal limitació, el nivell creixent d'interferència entre cel·les. Per tractar aquest problema, es proposa un algoritme de control d'interferències basat en la partició de recursos. Les prestacions de l'algoritme proposat s'avaluen i comparen amb les d'altres tècniques d'assignació de recursos. Una vegada completat aquest estudi, es pot afirmar que les UDNs tenen un gran potencial per aconseguir els ambiciosos requeriments plantejats per a la 5G. Tanmateix, sense l'ús conjunt de majors amplàries de banda, apropiades tècniques de control de la interferència i l'ús massiu d'antenes, les UDNs poden convertir-se en seriosos obstacles per als operadors mòbils. Els resultats de l'avaluació de prestacions d' aquestes tecnologies confirmen el gran augment de la capacitat de les xarxes obtingut mitjançant l'ús massiu d'antenes i la introducciGiménez Colás, S. (2017). Ultra Dense Networks Deployment for beyond 2020 Technologies [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/86204TESI

Practical large-scale coordinated scheduling in LTE-Advanced networks

In LTE-Advanced, the same spectrum can be re-used in neighboring cells, hence coordinated scheduling is employed to improve the overall network performance (cell throughput, fairness, and energy efficiency) by reducing inter-cell interference. In this paper, we advocate that large-scale coordination can be obtained through a layered solution: a cluster of few (i.e., three) cells is coordinated at the first level, and clusters of coordinated cells are then coordinated at a larger scale (e.g., tens of cells). We model both small-scale coordination and large-scale coordination as optimization problems, show that solving them at optimality is prohibitive, and propose two efficient heuristics that achieve good results, and yet are simple enough to be run at every Transmission Time Interval (TTI). Detailed packet-level simulations show that our layered approach outperforms the existing ones, both static and dynamic

Analysis of hybrid schedulers for CoMP resource allocation in LTE-Advanced SU-MIMO systems

Coordinated Multi Point transmission and reception (CoMP) has been considered as a promising technique to enhance system throughput performance by reducing inter-cell interference (ICI) in cell edge area. Past studies showed that Joint Processing (JP) transmission mode is capable to provide much better throughput performance benefits than Coordinated Scheduling/Beamforming (CS/CB) both in homogeneous and heterogeneous networks; however, the robust strategy of resource block (RB) allocation and scheduling algorithms has to be specifically designed for CoMP-JP in a MIMO-OFDMA system. In this paper, an intuitive algorithm will be investigated in order to reach the highest overall system throughput but keep same level of fairness performance at same time. We first analyze the threshold of reference signal strength to determine the operating region for CoMP-JP user selection, and then calculate the robust ratio of RB allocation for CoMP and non-CoMP users. In final stage, the hybrid schedulers adopted specifically for the unique characteristics of CoMP and non-CoMP users will be analyzed and compared. Our results show that the threshold of reference signal strength $(\lambda, \theta)$ should both be set at -1dB for CoMP operating region, and the parameter to the ratio of CoMP users should be set at $\gamma = 0.9$ for robust RB allocation

Uplink CoMP Capability Improvements In Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

LTE-Advanced meets the challenge raised by powerful, mobile devices and bandwidth-hungry applications by investing in solutions such as carrier aggregation, higher order MIMO, relay nodes and Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) transmission/reception. The latter, in particular, is envisioned to be one of the most important techniques in LTE-Advanced to improve the throughput and functionality of cell borders. CoMP allows users to have multiple data transmission and reception from/toward multiple cooperating eNodeBs (eNBs), increasing the utilization factor of the network. Resource allocation in the uplink is especially beneficial because more sophisticated algorithms can leverage the availability of additional connection points where the signal from the User Equipment (UE) is processed, ultimately providing UEs with increased throughput. Additionally, a significant part of the interference caused by neighboring cells can be seen as a useful received signal thanks to CoMP, provided those cells are part of the Coordinated Reception Point (CRP) set. This is especially important in critical regions, in terms of interference, like cell edges. Finally, in the case of joint multi-cell scheduling, CoMP introduces a reduction in the backhaul load by requiring only scheduling data to be transferred between coordinated eNBs. Arguably, CoMP is most appealing in the uplink direction since it does not require UE modifications: indeed, users need not be aware that there is any kind of cooperation among receiving eNBs. UEs are merely scheduled for transmission on a set of frequencies that happens to be split among different eNBs, although they still retain standard signaling channels through only one of these eNBs, usually referred to as the serving cell. In this work we focus on uplink CoMP from a system point of view. Specifically, we are interested in comparing through simulation the performance of uplink CoMP in various scenarios with different user participation to CoMP transmissions and CoMP margins. Some works have already investigated uplink CoMP both in simulation and through field trials. Our contribution confirms the findings of previous works as far as the throughput gain for edge users is concerned, but introduces three novel observations that can spur future investigations on CoMP systems, in both downlink and uplink regime, and lead to the design of new resource allocation algorithms: • We look at Heterogeneous scenario where there is no restriction in the type of cells that can be in the CRP set, but simultaneously we introduce clustering option included limited number of Macro and small cells to be acted independently from other clusters in CoMP process. • We introduce a parameter called CoMP Pool Percentage (CPP), which quantifies the fraction of PRBs that are reserved for UEs using a specific eNB as CRP (out of the resources nominally available to that eNB). Our algorithm show that the setting of CPP must be carefully gauged depending on the number of CoMP users and the scenario. • We proposed an innovative dynamic algorithm to make decision of the CPP value in order to improve the gain for CoMP users while considering the whole network gain. Combination of the three above mentioned routine and algorithms, according to simulations, confirms an average gain of at least 20% percent for the CoMP users, (average over various population) locating in cell boarder, while the whole network benefits by average of 5% gain for all the users (see results section). The algorithm also guarantees more gain for more values of CoMP margin. In other words, the more the population of CoMP users locating in cell borders the more would be the achievable gain. Objectives of this PhD thesis are concluded as follows: • Design a Network-level simulator whose features are close to a real LTE network, including advanced capabilities and innovations • Observe the response of the network to parameters changes • Increase the throughput gain (using CoMP vs. non using it) and the quality of service • Design and evaluate the Novel Scheduling Algorithm • Compare the obtained results with real case