Grant-free Radio Access IoT Networks: Scalability Analysis in Coexistence Scenarios

IoT networks with grant-free radio access, like SigFox and LoRa, offer low-cost durable communications over unlicensed band. These networks are becoming more and more popular due to the ever-increasing need for ultra durable, in terms of battery lifetime, IoT networks. Most studies evaluate the system performance assuming single radio access technology deployment. In this paper, we study the impact of coexisting competing radio access technologies on the system performance. Considering \mathpzc K technologies, defined by time and frequency activity factors, bandwidth, and power, which share a set of radio resources, we derive closed-form expressions for the successful transmission probability, expected battery lifetime, and experienced delay as a function of distance to the serving access point. Our analytical model, which is validated by simulation results, provides a tool to evaluate the coexistence scenarios and analyze how introduction of a new coexisting technology may degrade the system performance in terms of success probability and battery lifetime. We further investigate solutions in which this destructive effect could be compensated, e.g., by densifying the network to a certain extent and utilizing joint reception

Power allocation in multi-hop OFDM transmission systems with amplify-and-forward relaying: A unified approach

In this paper, a unified approach for power allocation (PA) in multi-hop orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying systems is presented. In the proposed approach, we consider short and long term individual and total power constraints at the source and relays, and devise low complexity PA algorithms when wireless links are subject to channel path-loss and small-scale Rayleigh fading. To manage the complexity, in the proposed formulations, we adopt a two-stage iterative approach consisting of a power distribution phase among distinct subcarriers, and a power allocation phase among different relays. In particular, aiming at improving the instantaneous rate of multi-hop transmission systems with AF relaying, we develop (i) a near-optimal iterative PA algorithm based on the exact analysis of the received SNR at the destination; (ii) a low complexity suboptimal iterative PA algorithm based on an approximate expression of the received SNR at high-SNR regime; and (iii) a low complexity non-iterative PA scheme with limited performance loss. Simulation results show the superior performance of the proposed power allocation algorithms