112 research outputs found
Design and Experimental Validation of a Software-Defined Radio Access Network Testbed with Slicing Support
Network slicing is a fundamental feature of 5G systems to partition a single
network into a number of segregated logical networks, each optimized for a
particular type of service, or dedicated to a particular customer or
application. The realization of network slicing is particularly challenging in
the Radio Access Network (RAN) part, where multiple slices can be multiplexed
over the same radio channel and Radio Resource Management (RRM) functions shall
be used to split the cell radio resources and achieve the expected behaviour
per slice. In this context, this paper describes the key design and
implementation aspects of a Software-Defined RAN (SD-RAN) experimental testbed
with slicing support. The testbed has been designed consistently with the
slicing capabilities and related management framework established by 3GPP in
Release 15. The testbed is used to demonstrate the provisioning of RAN slices
(e.g. preparation, commissioning and activation phases) and the operation of
the implemented RRM functionality for slice-aware admission control and
scheduling
Sl-EDGE: Network Slicing at the Edge
Network slicing of multi-access edge computing (MEC) resources is expected to
be a pivotal technology to the success of 5G networks and beyond. The key
challenge that sets MEC slicing apart from traditional resource allocation
problems is that edge nodes depend on tightly-intertwined and
strictly-constrained networking, computation and storage resources. Therefore,
instantiating MEC slices without incurring in resource over-provisioning is
hardly addressable with existing slicing algorithms. The main innovation of
this paper is Sl-EDGE, a unified MEC slicing framework that allows network
operators to instantiate heterogeneous slice services (e.g., video streaming,
caching, 5G network access) on edge devices. We first describe the architecture
and operations of Sl-EDGE, and then show that the problem of optimally
instantiating joint network-MEC slices is NP-hard. Thus, we propose
near-optimal algorithms that leverage key similarities among edge nodes and
resource virtualization to instantiate heterogeneous slices 7.5x faster and
within 0.25 of the optimum. We first assess the performance of our algorithms
through extensive numerical analysis, and show that Sl-EDGE instantiates slices
6x more efficiently then state-of-the-art MEC slicing algorithms. Furthermore,
experimental results on a 24-radio testbed with 9 smartphones demonstrate that
Sl-EDGE provides at once highly-efficient slicing of joint LTE connectivity,
video streaming over WiFi, and ffmpeg video transcoding
Towards Tactile Internet in Beyond 5G Era: Recent Advances, Current Issues and Future Directions
Tactile Internet (TI) is envisioned to create a paradigm shift from the content-oriented
communications to steer/control-based communications by enabling real-time transmission of haptic information (i.e., touch, actuation, motion, vibration, surface texture) over Internet in addition to the conventional audiovisual and data traffics. This emerging TI technology, also considered as the next evolution phase of Internet of Things (IoT), is expected to create numerous opportunities for technology markets in a wide variety of applications ranging from teleoperation systems and Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) to automotive safety and eHealthcare towards addressing the complex problems of human society. However, the realization of TI over wireless media in the upcoming Fifth Generation (5G) and beyond networks creates various non-conventional communication challenges and stringent requirements
in terms of ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, high data-rate connectivity, resource allocation, multiple access and quality-latency-rate tradeoff. To this end, this paper aims to provide a holistic view on wireless TI along with a thorough review of the existing state-of-the-art, to identify and analyze the involved technical issues, to highlight potential solutions and to propose future research directions. First, starting with the vision of TI and recent advances and a review of related survey/overview articles, we present a generalized framework for wireless TI in the Beyond 5G Era including a TI architecture, the main technical requirements, the key application areas and potential enabling technologies. Subsequently, we provide a comprehensive review of the existing TI works by broadly categorizing them into three main paradigms; namely, haptic communications, wireless AR/VR, and autonomous, intelligent and cooperative mobility systems. Next, potential enabling technologies across physical/Medium Access Control (MAC) and network layers are identified and discussed in detail. Also, security and privacy issues of TI applications are discussed
along with some promising enablers. Finally, we present some open research challenges and recommend promising future research directions
On the Road to 6G: Visions, Requirements, Key Technologies and Testbeds
Fifth generation (5G) mobile communication systems have entered the stage of commercial development, providing users with new services and improved user experiences as well as offering a host of novel opportunities to various industries. However, 5G still faces many challenges. To address these challenges, international industrial, academic, and standards organizations have commenced research on sixth generation (6G) wireless communication systems. A series of white papers and survey papers have been published, which aim to define 6G in terms of requirements, application scenarios, key technologies, etc. Although ITU-R has been working on the 6G vision and it is expected to reach a consensus on what 6G will be by mid-2023, the related global discussions are still wide open and the existing literature has identified numerous open issues. This paper first provides a comprehensive portrayal of the 6G vision, technical requirements, and application scenarios, covering the current common understanding of 6G. Then, a critical appraisal of the 6G network architecture and key technologies is presented. Furthermore, existing testbeds and advanced 6G verification platforms are detailed for the first time. In addition, future research directions and open challenges are identified for stimulating the on-going global debate. Finally, lessons learned to date concerning 6G networks are discussed
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