Showing papers on "Cellular network published in 2014"

Millimeter-Wave Cellular Wireless Networks: Potentials and Challenges

Abstract: Millimeter-wave (mmW) frequencies between 30 and 300 GHz are a new frontier for cellular communication that offers the promise of orders of magnitude greater bandwidths combined with further gains via beamforming and spatial multiplexing from multielement antenna arrays. This paper surveys measurements and capacity studies to assess this technology with a focus on small cell deployments in urban environments. The conclusions are extremely encouraging; measurements in New York City at 28 and 73 GHz demonstrate that, even in an urban canyon environment, significant non-line-of-sight (NLOS) outdoor, street-level coverage is possible up to approximately 200 m from a potential low-power microcell or picocell base station. In addition, based on statistical channel models from these measurements, it is shown that mmW systems can offer more than an order of magnitude increase in capacity over current state-of-the-art 4G cellular networks at current cell densities. Cellular systems, however, will need to be significantly redesigned to fully achieve these gains. Specifically, the requirement of highly directional and adaptive transmissions, directional isolation between links, and significant possibilities of outage have strong implications on multiple access, channel structure, synchronization, and receiver design. To address these challenges, the paper discusses how various technologies including adaptive beamforming, multihop relaying, heterogeneous network architectures, and carrier aggregation can be leveraged in the mmW context.

Cellular architecture and key technologies for 5G wireless communication networks

Abstract: The fourth generation wireless communication systems have been deployed or are soon to be deployed in many countries. However, with an explosion of wireless mobile devices and services, there are still some challenges that cannot be accommodated even by 4G, such as the spectrum crisis and high energy consumption. Wireless system designers have been facing the continuously increasing demand for high data rates and mobility required by new wireless applications and therefore have started research on fifth generation wireless systems that are expected to be deployed beyond 2020. In this article, we propose a potential cellular architecture that separates indoor and outdoor scenarios, and discuss various promising technologies for 5G wireless communication systems, such as massive MIMO, energy-efficient communications, cognitive radio networks, and visible light communications. Future challenges facing these potential technologies are also discussed.

A Survey on Device-to-Device Communication in Cellular Networks

Abstract: Device-to-device (D2D) communications was initially proposed in cellular networks as a new paradigm for enhancing network performance. The emergence of new applications such as content distribution and location-aware advertisement introduced new user cases for D2D communications in cellular networks. The initial studies showed that D2D communications has advantages such as increased spectral efficiency and reduced communication delay. However, this communication mode introduces complications in terms of interference control overhead and protocols that are still open research problems. The feasibility of D2D communications in Long-Term Evolution Advanced is being studied by academia, industry, and standardization bodies. To date, there are more than 100 papers available on D2D communications in cellular networks, but there is no survey on this field. In this paper, we provide a taxonomy based on the D2D communicating spectrum and review the available literature extensively under the proposed taxonomy. Moreover, we provide new insights into the over-explored and under-explored areas that lead us to identify open research problems of D2D communications in cellular networks.

Cache in the air: exploiting content caching and delivery techniques for 5G systems

Abstract: The demand for rich multimedia services over mobile networks has been soaring at a tremendous pace over recent years. However, due to the centralized architecture of current cellular networks, the wireless link capacity as well as the bandwidth of the radio access networks and the backhaul network cannot practically cope with the explosive growth in mobile traffic. Recently, we have observed the emergence of promising mobile content caching and delivery techniques, by which popular contents are cached in the intermediate servers (or middleboxes, gateways, or routers) so that demands from users for the same content can be accommodated easily without duplicate transmissions from remote servers; hence, redundant traffic can be significantly eliminated. In this article, we first study techniques related to caching in current mobile networks, and discuss potential techniques for caching in 5G mobile networks, including evolved packet core network caching and radio access network caching. A novel edge caching scheme based on the concept of content-centric networking or information-centric networking is proposed. Using trace-driven simulations, we evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme and validate the various advantages of the utilization of caching content in 5G mobile networks. Furthermore, we conclude the article by exploring new relevant opportunities and challenges.

Device-to-device communication in 5G cellular networks: challenges, solutions, and future directions

Abstract: In a conventional cellular system, devices are not allowed to directly communicate with each other in the licensed cellular bandwidth and all communications take place through the base stations. In this article, we envision a two-tier cellular network that involves a macrocell tier (i.e., BS-to-device communications) and a device tier (i.e., device-to-device communications). Device terminal relaying makes it possible for devices in a network to function as transmission relays for each other and realize a massive ad hoc mesh network. This is obviously a dramatic departure from the conventional cellular architecture and brings unique technical challenges. In such a two-tier cellular system, since the user data is routed through other users? devices, security must be maintained for privacy. To ensure minimal impact on the performance of existing macrocell BSs, the two-tier network needs to be designed with smart interference management strategies and appropriate resource allocation schemes. Furthermore, novel pricing models should be designed to tempt devices to participate in this type of communication. Our article provides an overview of these major challenges in two-tier networks and proposes some pricing schemes for different types of device relaying.

Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing for 5th Generation Cellular Networks

Abstract: Cellular systems of the fourth generation (4G) have been optimized to provide high data rates and reliable coverage to mobile users. Cellular systems of the next generation will face more diverse application requirements: the demand for higher data rates exceeds 4G capabilities; battery-driven communication sensors need ultra-low power consumption; and control applications require very short response times. We envision a unified physical layer waveform, referred to as generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), to address these requirements. In this paper, we analyze the main characteristics of the proposed waveform and highlight relevant features. After introducing the principles of GFDM, this paper contributes to the following areas: 1) the means for engineering the waveform's spectral properties; 2) analytical analysis of symbol error performance over different channel models; 3) concepts for MIMO-GFDM to achieve diversity; 4) preamble-based synchronization that preserves the excellent spectral properties of the waveform; 5) bit error rate performance for channel coded GFDM transmission using iterative receivers; 6) relevant application scenarios and suitable GFDM parameterizations; and 7) GFDM proof-of-concept and implementation aspects of the prototype using hardware platforms available today. In summary, the flexible nature of GFDM makes this waveform a suitable candidate for future 5G networks.

An overview of 3GPP device-to-device proximity services

Abstract: Device-to-device communication is likely to be added to LTE in 3GPP Release 12. In principle, exploiting direct communication between nearby mobile devices will improve spectrum utilization, overall throughput, and energy consumption, while enabling new peer-to-peer and location-based applications and services. D2D-enabled LTE devices can also become competitive for fallback public safety networks, which must function when cellular networks are not available or fail. Introducing D2D poses many challenges and risks to the long-standing cellular architecture, which is centered around the base station. We provide an overview of D2D standardization activities in 3GPP, identify outstanding technical challenges, draw lessons from initial evaluation studies, and summarize "best practices" in the design of a D2D-enabled air interface for LTE-based cellular networks

Enabling Wireless Power Transfer in Cellular Networks: Architecture, Modeling and Deployment

Abstract: Microwave power transfer (MPT) delivers energy wirelessly from stations called power beacons (PBs) to mobile devices by microwave radiation. This provides mobiles practically infinite battery lives and eliminates the need of power cords and chargers. To enable MPT for mobile recharging, this paper proposes a new network architecture that overlays an uplink cellular network with randomly deployed PBs for powering mobiles, called a hybrid network. The deployment of the hybrid network under an outage constraint on data links is investigated based on a stochastic-geometry model where single-antenna base stations (BSs) and PBs form independent homogeneous Poisson point processes (PPPs) with densities λb and λp, respectively, and single-antenna mobiles are uniformly distributed in Voronoi cells generated by BSs. In this model, mobiles and PBs fix their transmission power at p and q, respectively; a PB either radiates isotropically, called isotropic MPT, or directs energy towards target mobiles by beamforming, called directed MPT. The model is used to derive the tradeoffs between the network parameters (p, λb, q, λp) under the outage constraint. First, consider the deployment of the cellular network. It is proved that the outage constraint is satisfied so long as the product pλbα/2 is above a given threshold where α is the path-loss exponent. Next, consider the deployment of the hybrid network assuming infinite energy storage at mobiles. It is shown that for isotropic MPT, the product qλpλbα/2 has to be above a given threshold so that PBs are sufficiently dense; for directed MPT, zmqλpλbα/2 with zm denoting the array gain should exceed a different threshold to ensure short distances between PBs and their target mobiles. Furthermore, similar results are derived for the case of mobiles having small energy storage.

5G wireless backhaul networks: challenges and research advances

Abstract: 5G networks are expected to achieve gigabit-level throughput in future cellular networks. However, it is a great challenge to treat 5G wireless backhaul traffic in an effective way. In this article, we analyze the wireless backhaul traffic in two typical network architectures adopting small cell and millimeter wave communication technologies. Furthermore, the energy efficiency of wireless backhaul networks is compared for different network architectures and frequency bands. Numerical comparison results provide some guidelines for deploying future 5G wireless backhaul networks in economical and highly energy-efficient ways.

Is the Random Access Channel of LTE and LTE-A Suitable for M2M Communications? A Survey of Alternatives

Abstract: The 3GPP has raised the need to revisit the design of next generations of cellular networks in order to make them capable and efficient to provide M2M services. One of the key challenges that has been identified is the need to enhance the operation of the random access channel of LTE and LTE-A. The current mechanism to request access to the system is known to suffer from congestion and overloading in the presence of a huge number of devices. For this reason, different research groups around the globe are working towards the design of more efficient ways of managing the access to these networks in such circumstances. This paper aims to provide a survey of the alternatives that have been proposed over the last years to improve the operation of the random access channel of LTE and LTE-A. A comprehensive discussion of the different alternatives is provided, identifying strengths and weaknesses of each one of them, while drawing future trends to steer the efforts over the same shooting line. In addition, while existing literature has been focused on the performance in terms of delay, the energy efficiency of the access mechanism of LTE will play a key role in the deployment of M2M networks. For this reason, a comprehensive performance evaluation of the energy efficiency of the random access mechanism of LTE is provided in this paper. The aim of this computer-based simulation study is to set a baseline performance upon which new and more energy-efficient mechanisms can be designed in the near future.

Evolution Towards 5G Multi-tier Cellular Wireless Networks: An Interference Management Perspective

Abstract: The evolving fifth generation (5G) cellular wireless networks are envisioned to overcome the fundamental challenges of existing cellular networks, e.g., higher data rates, excellent end-to-end performance and user-coverage in hot-spots and crowded areas with lower latency, energy consumption and cost per information transfer. To address these challenges, 5G systems need to adopt a multi-tier architecture consisting of macrocells, different types of licensed small cells, relays, and device-to-device (D2D) networks to serve users with different quality-of-service (QoS) requirements in a spectrum and energy-efficient manner. Starting with the visions and requirements of 5G multi-tier networks, this article outlines the challenges of interference management (e.g., power control, cell association) in these networks with shared spectrum access (i.e., when the different network tiers shares the same licensed spectrum). It is argued that the existing interference management schemes will not be able to address the interference management problem in prioritized 5G multi-tier networks where users in different tiers have different priorities for channel access. In this context, a survey and qualitative comparison of the potential existing cell association and power control schemes is provided to demonstrate their limitations for interference management in 5G networks. Open challenges are highlighted and guidelines are provided to modify the existing schemes in order to overcome these limitations and make them suitable for the emerging 5G systems.

Evolution Towards 5G Multi-tier Cellular Wireless Networks: An Interference Management Perspective

Abstract: The evolving fifth generation (5G) cellular wireless networks are envisioned to overcome the fundamental challenges of existing cellular networks, for example, higher data rates, excellent end-to-end performance, and user-coverage in hot-spots and crowded areas with lower latency, energy consumption, and cost per information transfer. To address these challenges, 5G systems will adopt a multi-tier architecture consisting of macrocells, different types of licensed small cells, relays, and device-to-device (D2D) networks to serve users with different quality-of-service (QoS) requirements in a spectrum and energy-efficient manner. Starting with the visions and requirements of 5G multi-tier networks, this article outlines the challenges of interference management (e.g. power control, cell association) in these networks with shared spectrum access (i.e. when the different network tiers share the same licensed spectrum). It is argued that the existing interference management schemes will not be able to address the interference management problem in prioritized 5G multi-tier networks where users in different tiers have different priorities for channel access. In this context a survey and qualitative comparison of the existing cell association and power control schemes is provided to demonstrate their limitations for interference management in 5G networks. Open challenges are highlighted and guidelines are provided to modify the existing schemes in order to overcome these limitations and make them suitable for the emerging 5G systems.

Radio propagation path loss models for 5G cellular networks in the 28 GHZ and 38 GHZ millimeter-wave bands

Abstract: This article presents empirically-based largescale propagation path loss models for fifthgeneration cellular network planning in the millimeter-wave spectrum, based on real-world measurements at 28 GHz and 38 GHz in New York City and Austin, Texas, respectively. We consider industry-standard path loss models used for today’s microwave bands, and modify them to fit the propagation data measured in these millimeter-wave bands for cellular planning. Network simulations with the proposed models using a commercial planning tool show that roughly three times more base stations are required to accommodate 5G networks (cell radii up to 200 m) compared to existing 3G and 4G systems (cell radii of 500 m to 1 km) when performing path loss simulations based on arbitrary pointing angles of directional antennas. However, when directional antennas are pointed in the single best directions at the base station and mobile, coverage range is substantially improved with little increase in interference, thereby reducing the required number of 5G base stations. Capacity gains for random pointing angles are shown to be 20 times greater than today’s fourth-generation Long Term Evolution networks, and can be further improved when using directional antennas pointed in the strongest transmit and receive directions with the help of beam combining techniques.

NFV: state of the art, challenges, and implementation in next generation mobile networks (vEPC)

Abstract: As mobile network users look forward to the connectivity speeds of 5G networks, service providers are facing challenges in complying with connectivity demands without substantial financial investments. Network function virtualization (NFV) is introduced as a new methodology that offers a way out of this bottleneck. NFV is poised to change the core structure of telecommunications infrastructure to be more cost-efficient. In this article, we introduce an NFV framework, and discuss the challenges and requirements of its use in mobile networks. In particular, an NFV framework in the virtual environment is proposed. Moreover, in order to reduce signaling traffic and achieve better performance, this article proposes a criterion to bundle multiple functions of a virtualized evolved packet core in a single physical device or a group of adjacent devices. The analysis shows that the proposed grouping can reduce the network control traffic by 70 percent.

Modulation Formats and Waveforms for 5G Networks: Who Will Be the Heir of OFDM?: An overview of alternative modulation schemes for improved spectral efficiency

Abstract: Fifth-generation (5G) cellular communications promise to deliver the gigabit experience to mobile users, with a capacity increase of up to three orders of magnitude with respect to current long-term evolution (LTE) systems There is widespread agreement that such an ambitious goal will be realized through a combination of innovative techniques involving different network layers At the physical layer, the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation format, along with its multiple-access strategy orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), is not taken for granted, and several alternatives promising larger values of spectral efficiency are being considered This article provides a review of some modulation formats suited for 5G, enriched by a comparative analysis of their performance in a cellular environment, and by a discussion on their interactions with specific 5G ingredients The interaction with a massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) system is also discussed by employing real channel measurements

Cache-enabled small cell networks: Modeling and tradeoffs

Abstract: We consider the problem of caching in next generation mobile cellular networks where small base stations (SBSs) are able to store their users' content and serve them accordingly. The SBSs are stochastically distributed over the plane and serve their users either from the local cache or internet via limited backhaul, depending on the availability of requested content. We model and characterize the outage probability and average content delivery rate as a function of the signal-to-interference-ratio (SINR), base station intensity, target file bitrate, storage size and file popularity. Our results provide key insights into the problem of cache-enabled small cell networks.

OpenAirInterface: A Flexible Platform for 5G Research

Abstract: Driven by the need to cope with exponentially growing mobile data traffic and to support new traffic types from massive numbers of machine-type devices, academia and industry are thinking beyond the current generation of mobile cellular networks to chalk a path towards fifth generation (5G) mobile networks. Several new approaches and technologies are being considered as potential elements making up such a future mobile network, including cloud RANs, application of SDN principles, exploiting new and unused portions of spectrum, use of massive MIMO and full-duplex communications. Research on these technologies requires realistic and flexible experimentation platforms that offer a wide range of experimentation modes from real-world experimentation to controlled and scalable evaluations while at the same time retaining backward compatibility with current generation systems. Towards this end, we present OpenAirInterface (OAI) as a suitably flexible platform. In addition, we discuss the use of OAI in the context of several widely mentioned 5G research directions.

Cloud technologies for flexible 5G radio access networks

Abstract: The evolution toward 5G mobile networks will be characterized by an increasing number of wireless devices, increasing device and service complexity, and the requirement to access mobile services ubiquitously. Two key enablers will allow the realization of the vision of 5G: very dense deployments and centralized processing. This article discusses the challenges and requirements in the design of 5G mobile networks based on these two key enablers. It discusses how cloud technologies and flexible functionality assignment in radio access networks enable network densification and centralized operation of the radio access network over heterogeneous backhaul networks. The article describes the fundamental concepts, shows how to evolve the 3GPP LTE architecture, and outlines the expected benefits.

Joint Resource Partitioning and Offloading in Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

Abstract: In heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs), it is desirable to offload mobile users to small cells, which are typically significantly less congested than the macrocells. To achieve sufficient load balancing, the offloaded users often have much lower SINR than they would on the macrocell. This SINR degradation can be partially alleviated through interference avoidance, for example time or frequency resource partitioning, whereby the macrocell turns off in some fraction of such resources. Naturally, the optimal offloading strategy is tightly coupled with resource partitioning; the optimal amount of which in turn depends on how many users have been offloaded. In this paper, we propose a general and tractable framework for modeling and analyzing joint resource partitioning and offloading in a two-tier cellular network. With it, we are able to derive the downlink rate distribution over the entire network, and an optimal strategy for joint resource partitioning and offloading. We show that load balancing, by itself, is insufficient, and resource partitioning is required in conjunction with offloading to improve the rate of cell edge users in co-channel heterogeneous networks.

Tractable Model for Rate in Self-Backhauled Millimeter Wave Cellular Networks

Abstract: Millimeter wave (mmW) cellular systems will require high gain directional antennas and dense base station (BS) deployments to overcome high near field path loss and poor diffraction. As a desirable side effect, high gain antennas provide interference isolation, providing an opportunity to incorporate self-backhauling--BSs backhauling among themselves in a mesh architecture without significant loss in throughput--to enable the requisite large BS densities. The use of directional antennas and resource sharing between access and backhaul links leads to coverage and rate trends that differ significantly from conventional microwave ($\mu$W) cellular systems. In this paper, we propose a general and tractable mmW cellular model capturing these key trends and characterize the associated rate distribution. The developed model and analysis is validated using actual building locations from dense urban settings and empirically-derived path loss models. The analysis shows that in sharp contrast to the interference limited nature of $\mu$W cellular networks, the spectral efficiency of mmW networks (besides total rate) also increases with BS density particularly at the cell edge. Increasing the system bandwidth, although boosting median and peak rates, does not significantly influence the cell edge rate. With self-backhauling, different combinations of the wired backhaul fraction (i.e. the faction of BSs with a wired connection) and BS density are shown to guarantee the same median rate (QoS).

Game-theoretic resource allocation methods for device-to-device communication

Abstract: Device-to-device communication underlaying cellular networks allows mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to use the licensed spectrum allocated to cellular services for direct peer-to-peer transmission. D2D communication can use either one-hop transmission (i.e. D2D direct communication) or multi-hop clusterbased transmission (i.e. in D2D local area networks). The D2D devices can compete or cooperate with each other to reuse the radio resources in D2D networks. Therefore, resource allocation and access for D2D communication can be treated as games. The theories behind these games provide a variety of mathematical tools to effectively model and analyze the individual or group behaviors of D2D users. In addition, game models can provide distributed solutions to the resource allocation problems for D2D communication. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the applications of game-theoretic models to study the radio resource allocation issues in D2D communication. The article also outlines several key open research directions.

LTE and IEEE 802.11p for vehicular networking: a performance evaluation

Abstract: Various wireless communication systems exist, which enable a wide range of applications and use cases in the vehicular environment. These applications can be grouped into three types, namely, road safety, traffic efficiency, and infotainment, each with its own set of functional and performance requirements. In pursuance of assisting drivers to travel safely and comfortably, several of these requirements have to be met simultaneously. While the coexistence of multiple radio access technologies brings immense opportunities towards meeting most of the vehicular networking application requirements, it is equally important and challenging to identify the strength and weaknesses of each technology and understand which technology is more suitable for the given networking scenario. In this paper, we evaluate two of the most viable communication standards, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11p and long-term evolution (LTE) by 3rd Generation Partnership Project for vehicular networking. A detailed performance evaluation study of the standards is given for a variety of parameter settings such as beacon transmission frequency, vehicle density, and vehicle average speed. Both standards are compared in terms of delay, reliability, scalability, and mobility support in the context of various application requirements. Furthermore, through extensive simulation-based study, we validated the effectiveness of both standards to handle different application requirements and share insight for further research directions. The results indicate that IEEE 802.11p offers acceptable performance for sparse network topologies with limited mobility support. On the other hand, LTE meets most of the application requirements in terms of reliability, scalability, and mobility support; however, it is challenging to obtain stringent delay requirements in the presence of higher cellular network traffic load.

Analytical Modeling of Mode Selection and Power Control for Underlay D2D Communication in Cellular Networks

Abstract: Device-to-device (D2D) communication enables the user equipments (UEs) located in close proximity to bypass the cellular base stations (BSs) and directly connect to each other, and thereby, offload traffic from the cellular infrastructure. D2D communication can improve spatial frequency reuse and energy efficiency in cellular networks. This paper presents a comprehensive and tractable analytical framework for D2D-enabled uplink cellular networks with a flexible mode selection scheme along with truncated channel inversion power control. The developed framework is used to analyze and understand how the underlaying D2D communication affects the cellular network performance. Through comprehensive numerical analysis, we investigate the expected performance gains and provide guidelines for selecting the network parameters.

Device-to-device communications in cellular networks

Abstract: Device-to-device communications enable two proximity users to transmit signal directly without going through the base station. It can increase network spectral efficiency and energy efficiency, reduce transmission delay, offload traffic for the BS, and alleviate congestion in the cellular core networks. However, many technical challenges need to be addressed for D2D communications to harvest the potential benefits, including device discovery and D2D session setup, D2D resource allocation to guarantee QoS, D2D MIMO transmission, as well as D2D-aided BS deployment in heterogeneous networks. In this article, the basic concepts of D2D communications are first introduced, and then existing fundamental works on D2D communications are discussed. In addition, some potential research topics and challenges are also identified.

Optimal Geographic Caching In Cellular Networks

Abstract: In this work we consider the problem of an optimal geographic placement of content in wireless cellular networks modelled by Poisson point processes. Specifically, for the typical user requesting some particular content and whose popularity follows a given law (e.g. Zipf), we calculate the probability of finding the content cached in one of the base stations. Wireless coverage follows the usual signal-to-interference-and noise ratio (SINR) model, or some variants of it. We formulate and solve the problem of an optimal randomized content placement policy, to maximize the user's hit probability. The result dictates that it is not always optimal to follow the standard policy "cache the most popular content, everywhere". In fact, our numerical results regarding three different coverage scenarios, show that the optimal policy significantly increases the chances of hit under high-coverage regime, i.e., when the probabilities of coverage by more than just one station are high enough.

Coordinated Multipoint Joint Transmission in Heterogeneous Networks

Abstract: Motivated by the ongoing discussion on coordinated multipoint in wireless cellular standard bodies, this paper considers the problem of base station cooperation in the downlink of heterogeneous cellular networks. The focus of this paper is the joint transmission scenario, where an ideal backhaul network allows a set of randomly located base stations, possibly belonging to different network tiers, to jointly transmit data, to mitigate intercell interference and hence improve coverage and spectral efficiency. Using tools from stochastic geometry, an integral expression for the network coverage probability is derived in the scenario where the typical user located at an arbitrary location, i.e., the general user, receives data from a pool of base stations that are selected based on their average received power levels. An expression for the coverage probability is also derived for the typical user located at the point equidistant from three base stations, which we refer to as the worst case user. In the special case where cooperation is limited to two base stations, numerical evaluations illustrate absolute gains in coverage probability of up to 17% for the general user and 24% for the worst case user compared with the noncooperative case. It is also shown that no diversity gain is achieved using noncoherent joint transmission, whereas full diversity gain can be achieved at the receiver if the transmitting base stations have channel state information.

VLC: Beyond point-to-point communication

Abstract: Due to the large growth of mobile communications over the past two decades, cellular systems have resorted to fuller and denser reuse of bandwidth to cope with the growing demand. On one hand, this approach raises the achievable system capacity. On the other hand, however, the increased interference caused by the dense spatial reuse inherently limits the achievable network throughput. Therefore, the spectral efficiency gap between users' demand and network capabilities is ever growing. Most recently, visible light communication has been identified as well equipped to provide additional bandwidth and system capacity without aggregating the interference in the mobile network. Furthermore, energy-efficient indoor lighting and the large amount of indoor traffic can be combined inherently. In this article, VLC is examined as a viable and ready complement to RF indoor communications, and advancement toward future communications. Various application scenarios are discussed, presented with supporting simulation results, and the current technologies and challenges pertaining to VLC implementation are investigated. Finally, an overview of recent VLC commercialization is presented.

Mobile Edge Computing: A Taxonomy

Abstract: Mobile Edge Computing proposes co-locating computing and storage resources at base stations of cellular networks. It is seen as a promising technique to alleviate utilization of the mobile core and to reduce latency for mobile end users. Due to the fact that Mobile Edge Computing is a novel approach not yet deployed in real-life networks, recent work discusses merely general and non-technical ideas and concepts. This paper introduces a taxonomy for Mobile Edge Computing applications and analyzes chances and limitations from a technical point of view. Application types which profit from edge deployment are identified and discussed. Furthermore, these applications are systematically classified based on technical metrics.

Spectrum Sharing for Device-to-Device Communication in Cellular Networks

Abstract: This paper addresses two fundamental and interrelated issues in device-to-device (D2D) enhanced cellular networks. The first issue is how D2D users should access spectrum, and we consider two choices: overlay (orthogonal spectrum between D2D and cellular UEs) and underlay (non-orthogonal). The second issue is how D2D users should choose between communicating directly or via the base station, a choice that depends on distance between the potential D2D transmitter and receiver. We propose a tractable hybrid network model where the positions of mobiles are modeled by random spatial Poisson point process, with which we present a general analytical approach that allows a unified performance evaluation for these questions. Then, we derive analytical rate expressions and apply them to optimize the two D2D spectrum sharing scenarios under a weighted proportional fair utility function. We find that as the proportion of potential D2D mobiles increases, the optimal spectrum partition in the overlay is almost invariant (when D2D mode selection threshold is large) while the optimal spectrum access factor in the underlay decreases. Further, from a coverage perspective, we reveal a tradeoff between the spectrum access factor and the D2D mode selection threshold in the underlay: as more D2D links are allowed (due to a more relaxed mode selection threshold), the network should actually make less spectrum available to them to limit their interference.

Enable device-to-device communications underlaying cellular networks: challenges and research aspects

Abstract: Device-to-device communication underlaying a cellular network is a promising technology in future wireless networks to improve network capacity and user experience. While D2D communication has great potential to improve wireless system spectral and energy efficiency due to the proximity of communication parties and higher spectrum reuse gain, tremendous work is still ongoing to turn the promising technology into a reality. This article discusses D2D technical challenges as well as standards progress and important research aspects that enable D2D communications underlaying cellular networks. The key research areas addressed include interference management, multihop D2D communications, and D2D communications in heterogeneous networks. When enabling D2D communications underlaying cellular networks, D2D communications can use either cellular downlink or cellular uplink resources. The two resource sharing modes will create different interference scenarios. The performance evaluation on D2D communications underlaying cellular networks under these two different scenarios is provided.