A New Look at Physical Layer Security, Caching, and Wireless Energy Harvesting for Heterogeneous Ultra-dense Networks

Heterogeneous ultra-dense networks enable ultra-high data rates and ultra-low latency through the use of dense sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave (mmWave) small cells with different antenna configurations. Existing work has widely studied spectral and energy efficiency in such networks and shown that high spectral and energy efficiency can be achieved. This article investigates the benefits of heterogeneous ultra-dense network architecture from the perspectives of three promising technologies, i.e., physical layer security, caching, and wireless energy harvesting, and provides enthusiastic outlook towards application of these technologies in heterogeneous ultra-dense networks. Based on the rationale of each technology, opportunities and challenges are identified to advance the research in this emerging network.Comment: Accepted to appear in IEEE Communications Magazin

Generalized Area Spectral Efficiency: An Effective Performance Metric for Green Wireless Communications

Area spectral efficiency (ASE) was introduced as a metric to quantify the spectral utilization efficiency of cellular systems. Unlike other performance metrics, ASE takes into account the spatial property of cellular systems. In this paper, we generalize the concept of ASE to study arbitrary wireless transmissions. Specifically, we introduce the notion of affected area to characterize the spatial property of arbitrary wireless transmissions. Based on the definition of affected area, we define the performance metric, generalized area spectral efficiency (GASE), to quantify the spatial spectral utilization efficiency as well as the greenness of wireless transmissions. After illustrating its evaluation for point-to-point transmission, we analyze the GASE performance of several different transmission scenarios, including dual-hop relay transmission, three-node cooperative relay transmission and underlay cognitive radio transmission. We derive closed-form expressions for the GASE metric of each transmission scenario under Rayleigh fading environment whenever possible. Through mathematical analysis and numerical examples, we show that the GASE metric provides a new perspective on the design and optimization of wireless transmissions, especially on the transmitting power selection. We also show that introducing relay nodes can greatly improve the spatial utilization efficiency of wireless systems. We illustrate that the GASE metric can help optimize the deployment of underlay cognitive radio systems.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, accepted by TCo