Deploying an NFV-Based Experimentation Scenario for 5G Solutions in Underserved Areas.

Victor Sanchez-Aguero,Borja Nogales,Wheberth Damascena Dias,Francisco Valera,Ivan Vidal,Luciano Leonel Mendes,Alexandre Carvalho Ferreira

doi:10.3390/s21051897

Abstract

Presently, a significant part of the world population does not have Internet access. The fifth-generation cellular network technology evolution (5G) is focused on reducing latency, increasing the available bandwidth, and enhancing network performance. However, researchers and companies have not invested enough effort into the deployment of the Internet in remote/rural/undeveloped areas for different techno-economic reasons. This article presents the result of a collaboration between Brazil and the European Union, introducing the steps designed to create a fully operational experimentation scenario with the main purpose of integrating the different achievements of the H2020 5G-RANGE project so that they can be trialed together into a 5G networking use case. The scenario encompasses (i) a novel radio access network that targets a bandwidth of 100 Mb/s in a cell radius of 50 km, and (ii) a network of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (SUAV). This set of SUAVs is NFV-enabled, on top of which Virtual Network Functions (VNF) can be automatically deployed to support occasional network communications beyond the boundaries of the 5G-RANGE radio cells. The whole deployment implies the use of a virtual private overlay network enabling the preliminary validation of the scenario components from their respective remote locations, and simplifying their subsequent integration into a single local demonstrator, the configuration of the required GRE/IPSec tunnels, the integration of the new 5G-RANGE physical, MAC and network layer components and the overall validation with voice and data services.

Highlights

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) [1] is working on a series of releases to compose the 5G network scenarios that are being developed to fulfil the requirements imposed by enhanced Mobile Broadband [2], Ultra-Reliable
The encoded data are mapped into Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) symbols, where modulation order can be selected according to the channel conditions
The scenario was created using an existing Network Function Virtualization (NFV) testbed that supports the flexible incorporation of network domains, this way easing integrating activities

Summary

Introduction

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) [1] is working on a series of releases to compose the 5G network scenarios that are being developed to fulfil the requirements imposed by enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) [2], Ultra-Reliable. To support effective network communications over remote areas, 5G-RANGE has followed a practical approach: (i) the development of novel physical and MAC layer mechanisms, able to efficiently handle data communications over long distances; (ii) the adoption of well-known and widely used technologies, as well as recognized standards under development in the context of 5G networking, to provide end-user terminals with end-to-end network connectivity, and support the provision of an operator, third-party, and Internet services. The 5G-RANGE project has developed an innovative new radio physical layer using a powerful channel code scheme to enable a robust long-range link. The encoded data are mapped into Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) symbols, where modulation order can be selected according to the channel conditions (from 4-QAM up to 256-QAM)

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