The vision of next generation 5G wireless communications lies in providing very high data rates (typically of Gbps order), extremely low latency, manifold increase in base station capacity, and significant improvement in users’ perceived quality of service (QoS), compared to current 4G LTE networks. Ever increasing proliferation of smart devices, introduction of new emerging multimedia applications, together with an exponential rise in wireless data (multimedia) demand and usage is already creating a significant burden on existing cellular networks. 5G wireless systems, with improved data rates, capacity, latency, and QoS are expected to be the panacea of most of the current cellular networks’ problems. In this survey, we make an exhaustive review of wireless evolution toward 5G networks. We first discuss the new architectural changes associated with the radio access network (RAN) design, including air interfaces, smart antennas, cloud and heterogeneous RAN. Subsequently, we make an in-depth survey of underlying novel mm-wave physical layer technologies, encompassing new channel model estimation, directional antenna design, beamforming algorithms, and massive MIMO technologies. Next, the details of MAC layer protocols and multiplexing schemes needed to efficiently support this new physical layer are discussed. We also look into the killer applications, considered as the major driving force behind 5G. In order to understand the improved user experience, we provide highlights of new QoS, QoE, and SON features associated with the 5G evolution. For alleviating the increased network energy consumption and operating expenditure, we make a detail review on energy awareness and cost efficiency. As understanding the current status of 5G implementation is important for its eventual commercialization, we also discuss relevant field trials, drive tests, and simulation experiments. Finally, we point out major existing research issues and identify possible future research directions.

Next Generation 5G Wireless Networks: A Comprehensive Survey

The increasing wireless data traffic demands have driven the need to explore suitable spectrum regions for meeting the projected requirements. In the light of this, millimeter wave (mmWave) communication has received considerable attention from the research community. Typically, in fifth generation (5G) wireless networks, mmWave massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications is realized by the hybrid transceivers which combine high dimensional analog phase shifters and power amplifiers with lower-dimensional digital signal processing units. This hybrid beamforming design reduces the cost and power consumption which is aligned with an energy-efficient design vision of 5G. In this paper, we track the progress in hybrid beamforming for massive MIMO communications in the context of system models of the hybrid transceivers’ structures, the digital and analog beamforming matrices with the possible antenna configuration scenarios and the hybrid beamforming in heterogeneous wireless networks. We extend the scope of the discussion by including resource management issues in hybrid beamforming. We explore the suitability of hybrid beamforming methods, both, existing and proposed till first quarter of 2017, and identify the exciting future challenges in this domain.

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8585223/file/8585225.pdf

A Survey on Hybrid Beamforming Techniques in 5G: Architecture and System Model Perspectives

The millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency band is seen as a key enabler of multigigabit wireless access in future cellular networks. In order to overcome the propagation challenges, mmWave systems use a large number of antenna elements both at the base station and at the user equipment, which leads to high directivity gains, fully directional communications, and possible noise-limited operations. The fundamental differences between mmWave networks and traditional ones challenge the classical design constraints, objectives, and available degrees of freedom. This paper addresses the implications that highly directional communication has on the design of an efficient medium access control (MAC) layer. The paper discusses key MAC layer issues, such as synchronization, random access, handover, channelization, interference management, scheduling, and association. This paper provides an integrated view on MAC layer issues for cellular networks, identifies new challenges and tradeoffs, and provides novel insights and solution approaches.

Millimeter Wave Cellular Networks: A MAC Layer Perspective

5G roadmap

This paper provides an overview of the Industrial Internet with the emphasis on the architecture, enabling technologies, applications, and existing challenges. The Industrial Internet is enabled by recent rising sensing, communication, cloud computing, and big data analytic technologies, and has been receiving much attention in the industrial section due to its potential for smarter and more efficient industrial productions. With the merge of intelligent devices, intelligent systems, and intelligent decisioning with the latest information technologies, the Industrial Internet will enhance the productivity, reduce cost and wastes through the entire industrial economy. This paper starts by investigating the brief history of the Industrial Internet. We then present the 5C architecture that is widely adopted to characterize the Industrial Internet systems. Then, we investigate the enabling technologies of each layer that cover from industrial networking, industrial intelligent sensing, cloud computing, big data, smart control, and security management. This provides the foundations for those who are interested in understanding the essence and key enablers of the Industrial Internet. Moreover, we discuss the application domains that are gradually transformed by the Industrial Internet technologies, including energy, health care, manufacturing, public section, and transportation. Finally, we present the current technological challenges in developing Industrial Internet systems to illustrate open research questions that need to be addressed to fully realize the potential of future Industrial Internet systems.

Industrial Internet: A Survey on the Enabling Technologies, Applications, and Challenges

Mobile services based on 4G LTE services are steadily expanding across global markets, providing subscribers with the type of responsive Internet browsing experience that previously was only possible on wired broadband connections. With more than 200 commercial LTE networks in operation as of August 2013 [1], LTE subscriptions are expected to exceed 1.3 billion by the end of 2018 [2]. LTE's rapid uptake, based on exponential growth in network data traffic, has opened the industry's eyes to an important reality: the mobile industry must deliver an economically sustainable capacity and performance growth strategy; one that offers increasingly better coverage and a superior user experience at lower cost than existing wireless systems, including LTE. This strategy will be based on a combination of network topology innovations and new terminal capabilities. Simple network economics also require that the industry's strategy enable new services, new applications, and ultimately new opportunities to monetize the user experience. To address these pressing requirements, many expert prognosticators are turning their attention to future mobile broadband technologies and standards (i.e., 5G) as well as evolutions of the 3GPP's existing LTE standard and IEEE 802.11 standards.

Networks and devices for the 5G era

Generally, this disclosure provides systems and methods for a modular antenna array using radio frequency (RF) and baseband (BB) beamforming. A system may include a plurality of antenna modules, each of the antenna modules further including an array of antenna elements coupled to an RF beamforming circuit, the RF beamforming circuit to adjust phase shifts associated with the antenna elements to generate an antenna beam associated with the antenna module; and a central beamforming module coupled to each of the antenna modules, the central beamforming module to control the antenna beam associated with each of the antenna modules and to generate signal adjustments relative to each of the antenna modules, wherein the arrays of antenna elements of the antenna modules combine to operate as a composite antenna beamforming array.

Modular antenna array with rf and baseband beamforming

Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, systems and/or methods of wireless backhaul and access communication via a common antenna array. For example, an apparatus may include a wireless communication unit to control an antenna array to form one or more first beams for communicating over one or more access links and to form one or more second beams for communicating over one or more backhaul links, the access links including wireless communication links between a wireless communication node and one or more mobile devices, and the backhaul links including wireless communication links between the wireless node and one or more other wireless communication nodes.

Apparatus, system and method of wireless backhaul and access communication via a common antenna array

The techniques introduced here provide for efficient mass handover from a shared-spectrum wireless communication system (e.g., Licensed Shared Access, Authorized Shared Access, Cloud Spectrum Services, or the like) to a target system (e.g., 3GPP LTE, or the like). The techniques further provide for efficient handling of transitions from one shared-spectrum allocation period to the next shared-spectrum allocation period. Additionally, the techniques provide for efficient handling of multi-operator transitions to re-licensed or re-negotiated shared-spectrum allocations.

Shared spectrum reassignment in a spectrum sharing context

A spectrum sharing system includes a plurality of distributed repositories to receive and store information associated with usage of a shared frequency band by an incumbent user. A controller controls allocation of resources within the shared frequency band by a base station for use by a user equipment (UE). An access management entity is in communication with one or both of the controller and the plurality of distributed repositories. The access management entity to limit access by the controller to the information in the plurality of distributed repositories to prevent a level of knowledge of the incumbent user's usage of the shared frequency band.

Reza Arefi

Papers

Networks and devices for the 5G era

Modular antenna array with rf and baseband beamforming

Apparatus, system and method of wireless backhaul and access communication via a common antenna array

Shared spectrum reassignment in a spectrum sharing context

Systems, methods, and devices for licensed shared access management with distributed information storage