Beyond 5G: THz-Based Medium Access Protocol for Mobile Heterogeneous Networks

Abstract

Small cells are a cost-effective way to reliably expand network coverage and provide significantly increased capacity for end users. The ultra-high bandwidth available at millimeter (mmWave) and Terahertz (THz) frequencies can effectively realize short-range wireless access links in small cells enabling potential uses cases such as driver-less cars, data backhauling and ultra-high-definition infotainment services. This paper describes a new software defined network (SDN) framework for vehicles equipped with transceivers capable of dynamically switching between THz and mmWave bands. We present a novel SDN controlled admission policy that preferentially handoffs between the mmWave and THz small cells, accommodates asymmetric uplink/downlink traffic, performs error recovery and handles distinct link states that arise due to motion along practical vehicular paths. We then analytically derive the resulting capacity of such a small cell network by accounting for the channel characteristics unique to both these spectrum bands, relative distance and the contact times between a given transceiver pair. We then formulate the optimal procedure for scheduling multiple vehicles at a given infrastructure tower, with regards to practical road congestion scenarios. The search for the optimal schedule is shown to be a NP-hard problem. Hence, we design a computationally-feasible polynomial-time scheduling algorithm that runs at the SDN controller and compare its performance against the optimal procedure and random access. Additionally, we present a simulation-based case study for the use case of data center backhauling in Boston city to showcase the benefits of our approach.