Mobility: a double-edged sword for HSPA networks

This paper presents an empirical study on the performance of mobile High Speed Packet Access (HSPA, a 3.5G cellular standard) networks in Hong Kong via extensive field tests. Our study, from the viewpoint of end users, covers virtually all possible mobile scenarios in urban areas, including subways, trains, off-shore ferries and city buses. We have confirmed that mobility has largely negative impacts on the performance of HSPA networks, as fast-changing wireless environment causes serious service deterioration or even interruption. Meanwhile our field experiment results have shown unexpected new findings and thereby exposed new features of the mobile HSPA networks, which contradict commonly held views. We surprisingly find out that mobility can improve fairness of bandwidth sharing among users and traffic flows. Also the triggering and final results of handoffs in mobile HSPA networks are unpredictable and often inappropriate, thus calling for fast reacting fallover mechanisms. We have conducted in-depth research to furnish detailed analysis and explanations to what we have observed. We conclude that mobility is a double-edged sword for HSPA networks. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first public report on a large scale empirical study on the performance of commercial mobile HSPA networks

Channel Measurements and Models for High-Speed Train Wireless Communication Systems in Tunnel Scenarios: A Survey

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.The rapid developments of high-speed trains (HSTs) introduce new challenges to HST wireless communication systems. Realistic HST channel models play a critical role in designing and evaluating HST communication systems. Due to the length limitation, bounding of tunnel itself, and waveguide effect, channel characteristics in tunnel scenarios are very different from those in other HST scenarios. Therefore, accurate tunnel channel models considering both large-scale and small-scale fading characteristics are essential for HST communication systems. Moreover, certain characteristics of tunnel channels have not been investigated sufficiently. This article provides a comprehensive review of the measurement campaigns in tunnels and presents some tunnel channel models using various modeling methods. Finally, future directions in HST tunnel channel measurements and modeling are discussed

Propagation and Wireless Channel Modeling Development on Wide-Sense Vehicle-to-X Communications

The need for improving the safety and the efficiency of transportation systems has become of extreme importance. In this regard, the concept of vehicle-to-X (V2X) communication has been introduced with the purpose of providing wireless communication technology in vehicular networks. Not like the traditional views, the wide-sense V2X (WSV2X) communications in this paper are defined by including not only vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications but also train-to-X (T2X) communications constituted of train-to-train (T2T) and train-to-infrastructure (T2I) communications. All the information related to the wide-sense V2X channels, such as the standardization, scenarios, characters, and modeling philosophies, is organized and summarized to form the comprehensive understanding of the development of the WSV2X channels

A survey on future railway radio communications services: challenges and opportunities

Radio communications is one of the most disruptive technologies in railways, enabling a huge set of value-added services that greatly improve many aspects of railways, making them more efficient, safer, and profitable. Lately, some major technologies like ERTMS for high-speed railways and CBTC for subways have made possible a reduction of headway and increased safety never before seen in this field. The railway industry is now looking at wireless communications with great interest, and this can be seen in many projects around the world. Thus, railway radio communications is again a flourishing field, with a lot of research and many things to be done. This survey article explains both opportunities and challenges to be addressed by the railway sector in order to obtain all the possible benefits of the latest radio technologies

MASSIVE MIMO FOR HIGH-SPEED TRAIN COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

With the current development in wireless communications in high-mobility systems such as high-speed train (HST), the HST scenario is accepted as among the different scenarios for the fifth-generation (5G). Massive Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems, which are equipped with tens or hundreds of antennas has become an improved MIMO system which can assist in achieving the ever-growing demand of data for 5G wireless communication systems. In this study, the associated 5G technologies, as well as the equivalent channel modeling in HST settings and the challenges of deploying massive MIMO on HST, was investigated The channel model was modeled using the WINNER II channel model. With regrads, the proposed non-stationary IMT-A massive MIMO channel models, the essential statistical properties such as the spatial cross-correlation function (CCF), local temporal autocorrelation function (ACF) of the massive MIMO channel model using different propagation scenarios such as open space, viaduct and cutting was analyzed and investigated. The results from the simulations were compared with the analytical results in other to show that the statistical properties vary with time as a result of the non-stationarity of the proposed channel model. The agreement between the stationary interval of the non-stationary IMT-A channel model and the HST under different propagation scenarios shows the efficiency of the proposed channel model. Based on findings; the impact of the deployment of a large antenna on the channel capacity should be thoroughly investigated under different HST propagation scenario. Also, more HST train propagation scenarios such as the tunnel, hilly terrain, and the station should be considered in the non-stationary IMT-A massive MIMO channel models

Propagation channel characterisation and modelling for high-speed train communication systems

High-mobility scenarios, e.g., High-Speed Train (HST) scenarios, are expected to be typical scenarios for the Fifth Generation (5G) communication systems. With the rapid development of HSTs, an increasing volume of wireless communication data is required to be transferred to train passengers. HST users demand high network capacity and reliable communication services regardless of their locations or speeds, which are beyond the capability of current HST communication systems. The features of HST channels are significantly different from those of low-mobility cellular communication systems. For a proper design and evaluation of future HST wireless communication systems, we need accurate channel models that can mimic the underlying channel characteristics, especially the non-stationarity for different HST scenarios. Inspired by the lack of such accurate HST channel models in the literature, this PhD project is devoted to the modelling and simulation of non-stationary Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) channels for HST communication systems. In this thesis, we first give a comprehensive review of the measurement campaigns conducted in different HST scenarios and address the recent advances in HST channel models. We also highlight the key challenges of HST channel measurements and models. Then, we study the characterisation of non-stationary channels and propose a theoretical framework for deriving the statistical properties of these channels. HST wireless communication systems encounter different channel conditions due to the difference of surrounding geographical environments or scenarios. HST channel models in the literature have either considered large-scale parameters only and/or neglected the non-stationarity of HST channels and/or only consider one of the HST scenarios. Therefore, we propose a novel generic non-stationary Geometry-Based Stochastic Model (GBSM) for wideband MIMO HST channels in different HST scenarios, i.e., open space, viaduct, and cutting. The corresponding simulation model is then developed with angular parameters calculated by the Modified Method of Equal Area (MMEA). The system functions and statistical properties of the proposed channel models are thoroughly studied. The proposed generic non-stationary HST channel models are verified by measurements in terms of stationary time for the open space scenario and the Autocorrelation Function (ACF), Level Crossing Rate (LCR), and stationary distance for the viaduct and cutting scenarios. Transmission techniques which are capable of utilising Three-Dimensional (3D) spatial dimensions are significant for the development of future communication systems. Consequently, 3D MIMO channel models are critical for the development and evaluation of these techniques. Therefore, we propose a novel 3D generic non-stationary GBSM for wideband MIMO HST channels in the most common HST scenarios. The corresponding simulation model is then developed with angular parameters calculated by the Method of Equal Volume (MEV). The proposed models considers several timevarying channel parameters, such as the angular parameters, the number of taps, the Ricean K-factor, and the actual distance between the Transmitter (Tx) and Receiver (Rx). Based on the proposed generic models, we investigate the impact of the elevation angle on some of the channel statistical properties. The proposed 3D generic models are verified using relevant measurement data. Most standard channel models in the literature, like Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), COST 2100, and IMT-2000 failed to introduce any of the HST scenarios. Even for the standard channel models which introduced a HST scenario, like IMT-Advanced (IMT-A) and WINNER II channel models, they offer stationary intervals that are noticeably longer than those in measured HST channels. This has inspired us to propose a non-stationary IMT-A channel model with time-varying parameters including the number of clusters, powers, delays of the clusters, and angular parameters. Based on the proposed non-stationary IMT-A channel model, important statistical properties, i.e., the time-variant spatial Cross-correlation Function (CCF) and time-variant ACF, are derived and analysed. Simulation results demonstrate that the stationary interval of the developed non-stationary IMT-A channel model can match that of relevant HST measurement data. In summary, the proposed theoretical and simulation models are indispensable for the design, testing, and performance evaluation of 5G high-mobility wireless communication systems in general and HST ones in specific