An Economic Feasibility Model for Sustainable 5G Networks in Rural Dwellings of South Africa

Numerous factors have shown Internet-based technology to be a key enabler in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDG), as well as narrowing the divide between the global north and south. For instance, smart farming, remote/online learning, and smart grids can be used to, respectively, address SDGs 1 and 2 (ending poverty and hunger), 3 (quality education), and 7 and 9 (energy and infrastructure development). Though such Internet-based solutions are commonplace in the global north, they are missing or sparsely available in global south countries. This is due to several factors including underdevelopment, which dissuades service providers from investing heavily in infrastructure for providing capable Internet solutions such as 5G networks in these regions. This paper presents a study conducted to evaluate the feasibility of deploying 5G networks in the rural dwellings of South Africa at affordable rates, which would then serve as a pre-cursor for deploying solutions to improve lives and achieve the SDGs. The study evaluates the economic viability of a hybrid network model which combines terrestrial and aerial networks to provide 5G coverage in rural areas. The feasibility study reveals that such a network can be engineered at low monthly subscription fees to the end users and yield good returns to the service providers in rural areas; however, for large but sparsely populated suburban locations, the traditional terrestrial network with base stations is more suitable

Modelling and Implementation of QoS in Wireless Sensor Networks: A Multi-constrained Traffic Engineering Model

This paper revisits the problem of Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning to assess the relevance of using multipath routing to improve the reliability and packet delivery in wireless sensor networks while maintaining lower power consumption levels. Building upon a previous benchmark, we propose a traffic engineering model that relies on delay, reliability, and energy-constrained paths to achieve faster, reliable, and energy-efficient transmission of the information routed by a wireless sensor network. As a step forward into the implementation of the proposed QoS model, we describe the initial steps of its packet forwarding protocol and highlight the tradeoff between the complexity of the model and the ease of implementation. Using simulation, we demonstrate the relative efficiency of our proposed model compared to single path routing, disjoint path routing, and the previously proposed benchmarks. The results reveal that by achieving a good tradeoff between delay minimization, reliability maximization, and path set selection, our model outperforms the other models in terms of energy consumption and quality of paths used to route the information

Design of a flexible and robust gateway to collect sensor data in intermittent power environments

The development of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) gateway is challenging for sites where limited infrastructures lead to frequent power shortages and network unreliability. In this paper, we present a low-power, low-cost 802.15.4 and 802.11 compatible solution which uses open source software to meet local conditions. Using the SunSPOT motes on a system which is mostly platform independent, our system is based on the Fox embedded Linux board and equipped with a USB flash drive and a USB WiFi adapter. The system can be solar powered, and the results of a solar system design are presented. All the hardware components are available off-the-shelf and are easy to assemble. We conclude that our system is preferred for applications in remote areas, where a stable power supply and a reliable network infrastructure are lacking. Furthermore, it can be used to extend the range of WSNs by layering a network of long-range motes above islands of low-range motes

Intelligent transportation related complex systems and sensors

Building around innovative services related to different modes of transport and traffic management, intelligent transport systems (ITSs) are being widely adopted worldwide to improve the efficiency and safety of the transportation system. They enable users to be better informed and make safer, more coordinated, and smarter decisions on the use of transport networks. Current ITSs are complex systems, made up of several components/sub-systems characterized by time-dependent interactions among themselves. Some examples of these transportation-related complex systems include road traffic sensors, autonomous/automated cars, smart cities, smart sensors, virtual sensors, traffic control systems, smart roads, logistics systems, smart mobility systems, and many others that are emerging from niche areas

Framework for link reliability in inter-working multi-hop wireless networks

With the increase in deployment of multi-hop wireless networks and the desire for seamless internet access through ubiquitous connectivity, the inter-working of heterogeneous multi-hop wireless networks will become prominent in the near future. To complement the quest for ubiquitous service access, multi-mode mobile terminals are now in existence. Inter-working heterogeneous multi-hop wireless networks can provide seamless connectivity for such multi-mode nodes but introduces a number of challenges due to its dynamic network topology. One of the challenges in ensuring seamless access to service through these terminals in an inter-working environment is the selection of reliable wireless point-to-point links by the multi-hop nodes. A wireless link is said to be reliable if its radio attribute satisfies the minimum requirements for successful communication. Successful communication is specified by metrics such as signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), probability of bit error etc. However, the multi-hop wireless networks being inter-worked may operate with different link layer protocols. Therefore, how can the reliability of a wireless link be estimated irrespective of the link level technologies implemented in the networks being inter-worked so that optimal paths can be used for multi-hopping between nodes? In this paper, a generic framework which can estimate the reliability of a link in inter-working multi-hop wireless network is presented. The framework uses the relationship between inter-node interference, SINR and the probability of bit error to determine the reliability of a wireless link between two nodes. There is a threshold for the probability of bit error on a link for the link to be termed reliable. Using parameters such as the SINR threshold, nodes’ transmission power, link distance and interfering node density, the framework can evaluate the reliability of a link in an interworking multi-hop network

The Role of ICTs in Downscaling and Up-scaling Integrated Weather Forecasts for Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa

Despite global advancements in technology and inter-trade volumes, Sub-Saharan Africa is the only Region where cases of hunger have increased since 1990. Rampant and frequent droughts are one of the major causes of this. Monumental and mostly donor-funded projects have been mounted to counter this but with little success. One of the latest strategies being experimented is a community-based early warning system that seeks to integrate indigenous knowledge with western climate science. This initiative is informed by the realization that, though crucial, weather forecast information provided by the national meteorological departments has little utilization amongst smallscale farmers. Though having generated promising results, the integration project still faces the challenges of scaling up across communities as well as the lack of micro-level weather data. In this paper, we describe how the adoption of mobile phones and wireless sensor networks technology is being used to address these two challenges. Use of denser wireless sensor networks to collect local weather data and mobile phones to disseminate forecasts brings information closer to the farmers that need it most. To ensure that the non-mystical aspects of indigenous knowledge are portable across communities, language technologies (part of artificial intelligence) are used in the design of our system

Personalised Handoff Decision for Seamless Roaming in Next Generation of Wireless Networks

The past three decades have experienced a phenomenal emergence of several wireless networks and technologies. This next generation of wireless networks (4G) will be integrated into one IP-backbone to offer improved services to the user. The features of 4G include: wide coverage, high data rates, seamless roaming and personalisation. This paper presents a personalised handoff decision method to offer personalisation in seamless roaming for the next generation of wireless networks. This is done by assigning profiles to different users with different preferences and using these profiles to offer personalised handoff. The integration of these two important features of 4G networks will provide the end user the ability to choose their own preferred networks while they roam freely between heterogeneous networks

Evaluation of Interference in Interworking Multi-hop Wireless Network

The consequence of simultaneous transmissions by nodes in inter-working multi-hop wireless networks is inter-node interference. Inter-node interference is a metric that is important for the performance evaluation of inter-working wireless networks. Several interference models exist in literature, however, these models are for specific wireless networks and MAC protocols. Due to the heterogeneity of link-level technologies in inter-working multi-hop wireless networks, it is desirable to have generic models for the evaluation of interference on links in such networks. A generic model can provide information about the interference level on a link irrespective of the MAC protocol in use. This paper presents a generic interference model. The model evaluates the probability of interference and uses the negative second moment of the distance between a receiver-node and interfering-nodes to evaluate the interference power on a link in an inter-working multi-hop wireless network. Numerical results of the performance of the model are presented

A Model for Interference on Links in Inter-working Multi-hop Wireless Networks

Inter-node interference is an important performance metric in interworking multi-hop wireless networks. Such interference results from simultaneous transmissions by the nodes in these networks. Although several interference models exist in literature, these models are for specific wireless networks and MAC protocols. Due to the heterogeneity of link-level technologies in interworking multi-hop wireless networks, it is desirable to have generic models to evaluate interference on links in inter-working multi-hop wireless networks. This paper presents a generic model to provide information about the interference level on a link irrespective of the MAC protocol in use. The model determines the probability of interference and uses the negative second moment of the distance between a receiver-node and interfering-nodes to estimate the interference power on a link. Numerical results of the performance of the model are presented

A framework for Connectivity in Inter-working Multi-hop Wireless Networks

Establishing connectivity between node pairs in inter-working multihop wireless networks is a challenge. Although connectivity in multi-hop wireless networks has been studied yet these analyses focused mainly on ad-hoc networks. Since the next generation of wireless networks will be inter-working, an understanding of connectivity as it applies to such networks is needed. Specifically, this research emphasizes that the connectivity between any node pair in an inter-working multi-hop wireless network should be estimated with the availability of links and the level of interference on the available links that form the communication route between the nodes. Interference is a major factor that inhibits connectivity as it can cause wasteful transmissions over low quality links. Therefore this paper presents a framework for connectivity in interworking multi-hop wireless networks. In addition a connectivity aware routing technique is proposed. Simulation results of the performance of the proposed routing technique in comparison with other routing scheme are presented