84 research outputs found
A Vision and Framework for the High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) Networks of the Future
A High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) is a network node that operates in
the stratosphere at an of altitude around 20 km and is instrumental for
providing communication services. Precipitated by technological innovations in
the areas of autonomous avionics, array antennas, solar panel efficiency
levels, and battery energy densities, and fueled by flourishing industry
ecosystems, the HAPS has emerged as an indispensable component of
next-generations of wireless networks. In this article, we provide a vision and
framework for the HAPS networks of the future supported by a comprehensive and
state-of-the-art literature review. We highlight the unrealized potential of
HAPS systems and elaborate on their unique ability to serve metropolitan areas.
The latest advancements and promising technologies in the HAPS energy and
payload systems are discussed. The integration of the emerging Reconfigurable
Smart Surface (RSS) technology in the communications payload of HAPS systems
for providing a cost-effective deployment is proposed. A detailed overview of
the radio resource management in HAPS systems is presented along with
synergistic physical layer techniques, including Faster-Than-Nyquist (FTN)
signaling. Numerous aspects of handoff management in HAPS systems are
described. The notable contributions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in HAPS,
including machine learning in the design, topology management, handoff, and
resource allocation aspects are emphasized. The extensive overview of the
literature we provide is crucial for substantiating our vision that depicts the
expected deployment opportunities and challenges in the next 10 years
(next-generation networks), as well as in the subsequent 10 years
(next-next-generation networks).Comment: To appear in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorial
Evolution of NOMA Toward Next Generation Multiple Access (NGMA) for 6G
Due to the explosive growth in the number of wireless devices and diverse
wireless services, such as virtual/augmented reality and
Internet-of-Everything, next generation wireless networks face unprecedented
challenges caused by heterogeneous data traffic, massive connectivity, and
ultra-high bandwidth efficiency and ultra-low latency requirements. To address
these challenges, advanced multiple access schemes are expected to be
developed, namely next generation multiple access (NGMA), which are capable of
supporting massive numbers of users in a more resource- and
complexity-efficient manner than existing multiple access schemes. As the
research on NGMA is in a very early stage, in this paper, we explore the
evolution of NGMA with a particular focus on non-orthogonal multiple access
(NOMA), i.e., the transition from NOMA to NGMA. In particular, we first review
the fundamental capacity limits of NOMA, elaborate on the new requirements for
NGMA, and discuss several possible candidate techniques. Moreover, given the
high compatibility and flexibility of NOMA, we provide an overview of current
research efforts on multi-antenna techniques for NOMA, promising future
application scenarios of NOMA, and the interplay between NOMA and other
emerging physical layer techniques. Furthermore, we discuss advanced
mathematical tools for facilitating the design of NOMA communication systems,
including conventional optimization approaches and new machine learning
techniques. Next, we propose a unified framework for NGMA based on multiple
antennas and NOMA, where both downlink and uplink transmissions are considered,
thus setting the foundation for this emerging research area. Finally, several
practical implementation challenges for NGMA are highlighted as motivation for
future work.Comment: 34 pages, 10 figures, a survey paper accepted by the IEEE JSAC
special issue on Next Generation Multiple Acces
Towards Massive Machine Type Communications in Ultra-Dense Cellular IoT Networks: Current Issues and Machine Learning-Assisted Solutions
The ever-increasing number of resource-constrained Machine-Type Communication
(MTC) devices is leading to the critical challenge of fulfilling diverse
communication requirements in dynamic and ultra-dense wireless environments.
Among different application scenarios that the upcoming 5G and beyond cellular
networks are expected to support, such as eMBB, mMTC and URLLC, mMTC brings the
unique technical challenge of supporting a huge number of MTC devices, which is
the main focus of this paper. The related challenges include QoS provisioning,
handling highly dynamic and sporadic MTC traffic, huge signalling overhead and
Radio Access Network (RAN) congestion. In this regard, this paper aims to
identify and analyze the involved technical issues, to review recent advances,
to highlight potential solutions and to propose new research directions. First,
starting with an overview of mMTC features and QoS provisioning issues, we
present the key enablers for mMTC in cellular networks. Along with the
highlights on the inefficiency of the legacy Random Access (RA) procedure in
the mMTC scenario, we then present the key features and channel access
mechanisms in the emerging cellular IoT standards, namely, LTE-M and NB-IoT.
Subsequently, we present a framework for the performance analysis of
transmission scheduling with the QoS support along with the issues involved in
short data packet transmission. Next, we provide a detailed overview of the
existing and emerging solutions towards addressing RAN congestion problem, and
then identify potential advantages, challenges and use cases for the
applications of emerging Machine Learning (ML) techniques in ultra-dense
cellular networks. Out of several ML techniques, we focus on the application of
low-complexity Q-learning approach in the mMTC scenarios. Finally, we discuss
some open research challenges and promising future research directions.Comment: 37 pages, 8 figures, 7 tables, submitted for a possible future
publication in IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorial
System Modelling and Design Aspects of Next Generation High Throughput Satellites
Future generation wireless networks are targeting the convergence of fixed,
mobile and broadcasting systems with the integration of satellite and
terrestrial systems towards utilizing their mutual benefits. Satellite
Communications (Sat- Com) is envisioned to play a vital role to provide
integrated services seamlessly over heterogeneous networks. As compared to
terrestrial systems, the design of SatCom systems require a different approach
due to differences in terms of wave propagation, operating frequency, antenna
structures, interfering sources, limitations of onboard processing, power
limitations and transceiver impairments. In this regard, this letter aims to
identify and discuss important modeling and design aspects of the next
generation High Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems. First, communication models
of HTSs including the ones for multibeam and multicarrier satellites, multiple
antenna techniques, and for SatCom payloads and antennas are highlighted and
discussed. Subsequently, various design aspects of SatCom transceivers
including impairments related to the transceiver, payload and channel, and
traffic-based coverage adaptation are presented. Finally, some open topics for
the design of next generation HTSs are identified and discussed.Comment: submitted to IEEE Journa
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