UAV-Aided Interference Assessment for Private 5G NR Deployments: Challenges and Solutions

Industrial automation has created a high demand for private 5G networks, the deployment of which calls for an efficient and reliable solution to ensure strict compliance with the regulatory emission limits. While traditional methods for measuring outdoor interference include collecting real-world data by walking or driving, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offers an attractive alternative due to their flexible mobility and adaptive altitude. As UAVs perform measurements quickly and semiautomatically, they can potentially assist in near realtime adjustments of the network configuration and fine-tuning its parameters, such as antenna settings and transmit power, as well as help improve indoor connectivity while respecting outdoor emission constraints. This article offers a firsthand tutorial on using aerial 5G emission assessment for interference management in nonpublic networks (NPNs) by reviewing the key challenges of UAV-mounted radio-scanner measurements. Particularly, we (i) outline the challenges of practical assessment of the outdoor interference originating from a local indoor 5G network while discussing regulatory and other related constraints and (ii) address practical methods and tools while summarizing the recent results of our measurement campaign. The reported proof of concept confirms that UAV-based systems represent a promising tool for capturing outdoor interference from private 5G systems.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Machine Learning Based NLOS Radio Positioning in Beamforming Networks

In this paper, we address the challenging problem of radio positioning in non-line-of-sight (NLoS) conditions. To this end, we utilize measurements in the form of time-of-flight and gNodeB angular information in the context of 5G New Radio (NR) networks. Such measurements are processed by artificial neural networks with different snapshot and sequence-processing architectures to track the positions of the terminals. For model training, we consider a crowdsensing data acquisition scheme to effortlessly gather the desired measurements with the synchronized location tags. Realistic ray-tracing based evaluations on the so-called Madrid map at 28 GHz millimeter-wave band are provided, to assess the achievable performance while also varying the amount of uncertainties within the data. The obtained results show that radio positioning is feasible with accuracy in the order of 1 meter, or even below, also in challenging NLOS scenarios if the data and measurement uncertainties are small. The results also show that the sequence processing approach offers superior performance under practical measurement uncertainties.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Understanding the IoT connectivity landscape:A contemporary M2M radio technology roadmap

This article addresses the market-changing phenomenon of the Internet of Things (IoT), which relies on the underlying paradigm of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications to integrate a plethora of various sensors, actuators, and smart meters across a wide spectrum of businesses. The M2M landscape features today an extreme diversity of available connectivity solutions which -- due to the enormous economic promise of the IoT -- need to be harmonized across multiple industries. To this end, we comprehensively review the most prominent existing and novel M2M radio technologies, as well as share our first-hand real-world deployment experiences, with the goal to provide a unified insight into enabling M2M architectures, unique technology features, expected performance, and related standardization developments. We pay particular attention to the cellular M2M sector employing 3GPP LTE technology. This work is a systematic recollection of our many recent research, industrial, entrepreneurial, and standardization efforts within the contemporary M2M ecosystem.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 15 reference

Time Synchronization in 5G Wireless Edge : Requirements and Solutions for Critical-MTC

The wireless edge is about distributing intelligence to wireless devices wherein the distribution of accurate time reference is essential for time-critical machine-type communication (cMTC). In 5G-based cMTC, enabling time synchronization in the wireless edge means moving beyond the current synchronization needs and solutions in 5G radio access. In this article, we analyze the device-level synchronization needs of potential cMTC applications: industrial automation, power distribution, vehicular communication, and live audio/video production. We present an overthe- air synchronization scheme comprising 5G air interface parameters and discuss their associated timing errors. We evaluate the estimation error in device-to-base-station propagation delay from timing advance under random errors and show how to reduce the estimation error. In the end, we identify the random errors specific to dense multipath fading environments and discuss countermeasures

Deployment Strategies for Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication in Factory Automation

Factory automation is one of the challenging use cases that the fifth generation, 5G, networks are expected to support. It involves mission-critical machine-type communications, MTC, with requirements of extreme low-latency and ultra-reliable communication to enable real-time control of automation processes in manufacturing facilities. In this paper, we discuss the deployment strategies for the 5G mission-critical MTC solution designed to meet the needs of factory automation applications. The paper analyzes the coverage and capacity aspects based on a series of system-level evaluations considering both noise-limited and interference-limited operations. It further analyzes the related trade-offs to provide insights on the network deployment strategies for a realistic factory scenario

Reliability of UAV Connectivity in Dual-MNO Networks: A Performance Measurement Campaign

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be controlled in beyond-visual-line-of-sight use cases via today's commercial mobile network operator (MNO) deployments, such as those based on long-term evolution (LTE) technology. In order to improve the reliability of UAV connectivity, especially in more critical use cases, several MNO networks may be utilized simultaneously. To evaluate this option in typical environments, performance measurements were conducted over two public LTE networks in urban, suburban, and rural areas in/near the city of Tampere, Finland, and at various UAV flight altitudes: 1 m, 15-20 m, and 50 m above the ground. The results indicate that there are distinct benefits in utilizing more than one MNO for improved levels of connection reliability.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe