Review of Parallel Decoding of Space-time Block Codes toward 4G Wireless and Mobile Communications

AbstractThis paper presents a review of recent developments in the area of STBC decoding particularly parallel decoding of full-rate full-diversity STBCs toward real-time 4G wireless communications. After reviewing some parallel STBC decoding techniques and presenting one of the most promising types of parallel processors suitable for the 4G SDR the SIMD processor, the paper shows that parallel decoding of the Golden Code on the ClearSpeed CSX700 SIMD processor achieves a speedup of up to 30 times. The paper highlights the potential to achieve real-time decoding of high-rate STBCs with the use of robust parallel processors

GPS Multipath Detection in the Frequency Domain

Multipath is among the major sources of errors in precise positioning using GPS and continues to be extensively studied. Two Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)-based detectors are presented in this paper as GPS multipath detection techniques. The detectors are formulated as binary hypothesis tests under the assumption that the multipath exists for a sufficient time frame that allows its detection based on the quadrature arm of the coherent Early-minus-Late discriminator (Q EmL) for a scalar tracking loop (STL) or on the quadrature (Q EmL) and/or in-phase arm (I EmL) for a vector tracking loop (VTL), using an observation window of N samples. Performance analysis of the suggested detectors is done on multipath signal data acquired from the multipath environment simulator developed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) as well as on multipath data from real GPS signals. Application of the detection tests to correlator outputs of scalar and vector tracking loops shows that they may be used to exclude multipath contaminated satellites from the navigation solution. These detection techniques can be extended to other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) such as GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou.Comment: 2016 European Navigation Conference (ENC 2016), May 2016, Helsinki, Finland. Proceedings of the 2016 European Navigation Conference (ENC 2016

Distributed e-learning in art, design, media

University of Cumbria, Faculty of the Arts (on behalf of ADM-HEA) has conducted a national inquiry, led by Dr Cheri Logan, into distributed e-learning in art, design and media higher education. The research aimed to provide a picture of the current use of virtual learning environments and other learning and teaching technologies in these subjects. The findings of the project were reviewed in the light of current literature, and the report provides development-oriented advice that aims to benefit stakeholders in these specialist subject areas

Approches pour la classification du trafic et l’optimisation des ressources radio dans les réseaux cellulaires : application à l’Afrique du Sud

The growth in the number of cellular mobile subscribers worldwide has far outpaced expected rates of growth with worldwide mobile subscriptions reaching 6 Billion subscribers in 2011 according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). More than 75% of this figure is in developing countries. With this rate of growth, greater pressure is placed on radio resources in mobile networks which impacts on the quality and grade of service (GOS) in the network. With varying demands that are generated from different subscriber classes in a network, the ability to distinguish between subscriber types in a network is vital to optimise infrastructure and resources in a mobile network. In this study, a new approach for subscriber classification in mobile cellular networks is proposed. In the proposed approach, traffic data extracted from two network providers in South Africa is considered. The traffic data is first decomposed using traditional feature extraction approaches such as the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and the Discrete Wavelet Packet Transform (DWPT) approach. The results are then compared with the Difference Histogram approach which considers the number of segments of increase in the time series. Based on the features extracted, classification is then achieved by making use of a Fuzzy C-means algorithm. It is shown from the results obtained that a clear separation between subscriber classes based on inputted traffic signals is possible through the proposed approach. Further, based on the subscriber classes extracted, a novel two-level hybrid channel allocation approach is proposed that makes use of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model to consider the optimisation of radio resources in a mobile network. In the proposed model, two levels of channel allocation are considered: the first considers defining a fixed threshold of channels allocated to each cell in the network. The second level considers a dynamic channel allocation model to account for the variations in traffic experienced in each traffic class identified. Using the optimisation solver, CPLEX, it is shown that an optimal solution can be achieved with the proposed two-level hybrid allocation modelSelon l'Union Internationale des Télécommunications (UIT), la progression importante du nombre de téléphones mobiles à travers le monde a dépassé toutes les prévisions avec un nombre d'utilisateurs estimé à 6 Mds en 2011 dont plus de 75% dans les pays développés. Cette progression importante produit une pression forte sur les opérateurs de téléphonie mobile concernant les ressources radio et leur impact sur la qualité et le degré de service (GoS) dans le réseau. Avec des demandes différenciées de services émanant de différentes classes d'utilisateurs, la capacité d'identifier les types d'utilisateurs dans le réseau devient donc vitale pour l'optimisation de l'infrastructure et des ressources. Dans la présente thèse, une nouvelle approche de classification des utilisateurs d'un réseau cellulaire mobile est proposée, en exploitant les données du trafic réseau fournies par deux opérateurs de téléphonie mobile en Afrique du Sud. Dans une première étape, celles-ci sont décomposées en utilisant deux méthodes multi-échelles ; l'approche de décomposition en mode empirique (Empirical Mode Decomposition approach - EMD) et l'approche en Ondelettes Discrètes (Discrete Wavelet Packet Transform approach - DWPT). Les résultats sont ensuite comparés avec l'approche dite de Difference Histogram qui considère le nombre de segments de données croissants dans les séries temporelles. L'approche floue de classification FCM (Fuzzy C-means) est utilisée par la suite pour déterminer les clusters, ou les différentes classes présentes dans les données, obtenus par analyse multi-échelles et par différence d'histogrammes. Les résultats obtenus montrent, pour la méthode proposée, une séparation claire entre les différentes classes de trafic par rapport aux autres méthodes. La deuxième partie de la thèse concerne la proposition d'une approche d'optimisation des ressources réseau, qui prend en compte la variation de la demande en termes de trafic basée sur les classes d'abonnés précédemment identifiés dans la première partie. Une nouvelle approche hybride en deux niveaux pour l'allocation des canaux est proposée. Le premier niveau considère un seuil fixe de canaux alloués à chaque cellule en prenant en considération la classe d'abonnés identifiée par une stratégie statique d'allocation de ressources tandis que le deuxième niveau considère une stratégie dynamique d'allocation de ressources. Le problème d'allocation de ressources est formulé comme un problème de programmation linéaire mixte (Mixed-Integer Linear programming - MILP). Ainsi, une approche d'allocation par période est proposée dans laquelle un groupe de canaux est alloué de façon dynamique pour répondre à la variation de la demande dans le réseau. Pour résoudre le problème précédent, nous avons utilisé l'outil CPLEX. Les résultats obtenus montrent qu'une solution optimale peux être atteinte par l'approche proposée (MILP

Approaches for the classification of traffic and radio resource management in mobile cellular networks : an application to South Africa

Selon l'Union Internationale des Télécommunications (UIT), la progression importante du nombre de téléphones mobiles à travers le monde a dépassé toutes les prévisions avec un nombre d'utilisateurs estimé à 6 Mds en 2011 dont plus de 75% dans les pays développés. Cette progression importante produit une pression forte sur les opérateurs de téléphonie mobile concernant les ressources radio et leur impact sur la qualité et le degré de service (GoS) dans le réseau. Avec des demandes différenciées de services émanant de différentes classes d'utilisateurs, la capacité d'identifier les types d'utilisateurs dans le réseau devient donc vitale pour l'optimisation de l'infrastructure et des ressources. Dans la présente thèse, une nouvelle approche de classification des utilisateurs d'un réseau cellulaire mobile est proposée, en exploitant les données du trafic réseau fournies par deux opérateurs de téléphonie mobile en Afrique du Sud. Dans une première étape, celles-ci sont décomposées en utilisant deux méthodes multi-échelles ; l'approche de décomposition en mode empirique (Empirical Mode Decomposition approach - EMD) et l'approche en Ondelettes Discrètes (Discrete Wavelet Packet Transform approach - DWPT). Les résultats sont ensuite comparés avec l'approche dite de Difference Histogram qui considère le nombre de segments de données croissants dans les séries temporelles. L'approche floue de classification FCM (Fuzzy C-means) est utilisée par la suite pour déterminer les clusters, ou les différentes classes présentes dans les données, obtenus par analyse multi-échelles et par différence d'histogrammes. Les résultats obtenus montrent, pour la méthode proposée, une séparation claire entre les différentes classes de trafic par rapport aux autres méthodes. La deuxième partie de la thèse concerne la proposition d'une approche d'optimisation des ressources réseau, qui prend en compte la variation de la demande en termes de trafic basée sur les classes d'abonnés précédemment identifiés dans la première partie. Une nouvelle approche hybride en deux niveaux pour l'allocation des canaux est proposée. Le premier niveau considère un seuil fixe de canaux alloués à chaque cellule en prenant en considération la classe d'abonnés identifiée par une stratégie statique d'allocation de ressources tandis que le deuxième niveau considère une stratégie dynamique d'allocation de ressources. Le problème d'allocation de ressources est formulé comme un problème de programmation linéaire mixte (Mixed-Integer Linear programming - MILP). Ainsi, une approche d'allocation par période est proposée dans laquelle un groupe de canaux est alloué de façon dynamique pour répondre à la variation de la demande dans le réseau. Pour résoudre le problème précédent, nous avons utilisé l'outil CPLEX. Les résultats obtenus montrent qu'une solution optimale peux être atteinte par l'approche proposée (MILP)The growth in the number of cellular mobile subscribers worldwide has far outpaced expected rates of growth with worldwide mobile subscriptions reaching 6 Billion subscribers in 2011 according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). More than 75% of this figure is in developing countries. With this rate of growth, greater pressure is placed on radio resources in mobile networks which impacts on the quality and grade of service (GOS) in the network. With varying demands that are generated from different subscriber classes in a network, the ability to distinguish between subscriber types in a network is vital to optimise infrastructure and resources in a mobile network. In this study, a new approach for subscriber classification in mobile cellular networks is proposed. In the proposed approach, traffic data extracted from two network providers in South Africa is considered. The traffic data is first decomposed using traditional feature extraction approaches such as the Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and the Discrete Wavelet Packet Transform (DWPT) approach. The results are then compared with the Difference Histogram approach which considers the number of segments of increase in the time series. Based on the features extracted, classification is then achieved by making use of a Fuzzy C-means algorithm. It is shown from the results obtained that a clear separation between subscriber classes based on inputted traffic signals is possible through the proposed approach. Further, based on the subscriber classes extracted, a novel two-level hybrid channel allocation approach is proposed that makes use of a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model to consider the optimisation of radio resources in a mobile network. In the proposed model, two levels of channel allocation are considered: the first considers defining a fixed threshold of channels allocated to each cell in the network. The second level considers a dynamic channel allocation model to account for the variations in traffic experienced in each traffic class identified. Using the optimisation solver, CPLEX, it is shown that an optimal solution can be achieved with the proposed two-level hybrid allocation mode

An Energy-Efficient and Adaptive Channel Coding Approach for Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) Systems

Most of the current research work on the Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is focused on enhancing its network coverage. Many of the existing NB-IoT channel coding techniques are based on repeating transmission data and control signals as a way of enhancing the network’s reliability and therefore, enabling long-distance transmissions. Although most of these efforts are made at the expense of reducing the energy consumption of the NB-IoT network, they do not always consider the channel conditions. Therefore, this work proposes a novel NB-IoT Energy-Efficient Adaptive Channel Coding (EEACC) scheme. The EEACC approach is a two-dimensional (2D) approach which not only selects an appropriate channel coding scheme based on the estimated channel conditions (dynamically classified as bad, medium or good from initial based on a periodically assessed BLER performance outcome) but also minimizes the transmission repetition number under a pre-assessed probability of successful transmission (based on the ratio of previous successful transmissions over the total number of transmissions). This results in creating a single mixed gradient based on which a higher or lower Modulating Coding Scheme (MCS) is selected on each transmission. It is aimed at enhancing the overall energy efficiency of the network by dynamically selecting the appropriate Modulation Coding Scheme (MCS) number and efficiently minimizing the transmission repetition number. Link-level simulations are performed under different channel conditions (good, medium, or bad) considerations to assess the performance of the proposed up-link adaptation technique for NB-IoT. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed technique outperforms the existing Narrowband Link Adaptation (NBLA) as well as the traditional repetition schemes in terms of the achieved energy efficiency as well as network reliability, latency, and scalability

A Novel Spread Spectrum and Clustering Mixed Approach with Network Coding for Enhanced Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Scalability

The Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a very promising licensed Internet of things (IoT) technology for accommodating massive device connections in 5G and beyond. To enable network scalability, this study proposes a two-layers novel mixed approach that aims not only to create an efficient spectrum sharing among the many NB-IoT devices but also provides an energy-efficient network. On one layer, the approach uses an Adaptive Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (AFHSS) technique that uses a lightweight and secure pseudo-random sequence to exploit the channel diversity, to mitigate inter-link and cross-technology interference. On the second layer, the approach consists of a clustering and network coding (data aggregation) approach based on an energy-signal strength mixed gradient. The second layer contributes to offload the BS, allows for energy-efficient network scalability, helps balance the energy consumption of the network, and enhances the overall network lifetime. The proposed mixed strategy algorithm is modelled and simulated using the Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) Long Term Evolution (LTE) toolbox. The obtained results reveal that the proposed mixed approach enhances network scalability while improving energy efficiency, transmission reliability, and network lifetime when compared to the existing spread spectrum only, nodes clustering only, and mixed approach with no network coding approaches

Transparent settlement model between mobile network operator and mobile voice over Internet protocol operator

Advances in technology have enabled network-less mobile voice over internet protocol operator (MVoIPO) to offer data services (i.e. voice, text and video) to mobile network operator's (MNO's) subscribers through an application enabled on subscriber's user equipment using MNO's packet-based cellular network infrastructure. However, this raises the problem of how to handle interconnection settlements between the two types of operators, particularly how to deal with users who now have the ability to make ‘free’ on-net MVoIP calls among themselves within the MNO's network. This study proposes a service level agreement-based transparent settlement model (TSM) to solve this problem. The model is based on concepts of achievement and reward, not violation and punishment. The TSM calculates the MVoIPO's throughput distribution by monitoring the variations of peaks and troughs at the edge of a network. This facilitates the determination of conformance and non-conformance levels to the pre-set throughput thresholds and, subsequently, the issuing of compensation to the MVoIPO by the MNO as a result of generating an economically acceptable volume of data traffic

Visible Light Communications for Internet of Things: Prospects and Approaches, Challenges, Solutions and Future Directions

Visible light communications (VLC) is an emerging and promising concept that is capable of solving the major challenges of 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. Moreover, due to the usage of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in almost every aspect of our daily life VLC is providing massive connectivity for various types of massive IoT communications ranging from machine-to-machine, vehicle-to-infrastructure, infrastructure-to-vehicle, chip-to-chip as well as device-to-device. In this paper, we undertake a comprehensive review of the prospects of implementing VLC for IoT. Moreover, we investigate existing and proposed approaches implemented in the application of VLC for IoT. Additionally, we look at the challenges faced in applying VLC for IoT and offer solutions where applicable. Then, we identify future research directions in the implementation of VLC for IoT