5G Platform Research Articles

Low-Latency VLC System with Fresnel Receiver for I2V ITS Applications

This work presents a characterization of a low-cost, low-latency Visible Light Communication (VLC) prototype for infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication for future Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The system consists of a regular traffic light as a transmitter (the red light is modulated with the information), and a photodetector as a receiver. The latter is equipped with low-cost Fresnel lenses as condensers, namely, 1 ′ ′ Fresnel and 2 ′ ′ Fresnel, to increase the optical gain of the system at the receiver. The system is capable of Active Decode and Relay (ADR) of information to further incoming units. The experimental characterization of amplitude and Packet Error Rate (PER) for the proposed system has been performed for distances up to 50 m. The results show that by incorporating the 2 ′ ′ Fresnel lens in the photodetector, an error free ( PER ≤ 10 − 5 ) I2V communication is established up to 50 m. Furthermore, the prototype can be used for both broadcast and beaconing transmission modes. This low-cost VLC-based system could offer sub-millisecond latency in the full ADR process for distances up to 36 m, which makes it suitable for integration in Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) and 5G platforms.

CellOS: Zero-touch Softwarized Open Cellular Networks

Current cellular networks rely on closed and inflexible infrastructure tightly controlled by a handful of vendors. Their configuration requires vendor support and lengthy manual operations, which prevent Telco Operators (TOs) from unlocking the full network potential and from performing fine grained performance optimization, especially on a per-user basis. To address these key issues, this paper introduces CellOS, a fully automated optimization and management framework for cellular networks that requires negligible intervention (“zero-touch”). CellOS leverages softwarization and automatic optimization principles to bridge Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and cross-layer optimization. Unlike state-of-the-art SDN-inspired solutions for cellular networking, CellOS: (i) Hides low-level network details through a general virtual network abstraction; (ii) allows TOs to define high-level control objectives to dictate the desired network behavior without requiring knowledge of optimization techniques, and (iii) automatically generates and executes distributed control programs for simultaneous optimization of heterogeneous control objectives on multiple network slices. CellOS has been implemented and evaluated on an indoor testbed with two different LTE-compliant implementations: OpenAirInterface and srsLTE. We further demonstrated CellOS capabilities on the long-range outdoor POWDER-RENEW PAWR 5G platform. Results from scenarios with multiple base stations and users show that CellOS is platform-independent and self-adapts to diverse network deployments. Our investigation shows that CellOS outperforms existing solutions on key metrics, including throughput (up to 86% improvement), energy efficiency (up to 84%) and fairness (up to 29%).

Towards Ensuring Reliability of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks Using a Relay Selection Techniques and D2D Communications in 5G Networks

Benefiting from unlimited power supply, vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), in a 5G platform, can deal superiorly with the challenges of providing high reliability. As a prerequisite for ensuring reliability, reducing message delivery delay is pursued by improving the performance of message broadcast protocol. The amount of exchanged overhead to select a relay node, and the time consumed to forward a message are the two foremost factors in this regard. In the other hand, cognitive radio (CR) and device-to-device (D2D) communication techniques have been considered inherently in 5G to overcome bandwidth shortage, coverage limitation and excessive delay. So, in this article, we study some relay selection algorithms appropriate for 5G-VANET and classify them based on network reliability requirements. Considering the capabilities of CR and D2D communications in 5G-VANET, a method is proposed to select the farthest available node to forward a message without any need to exchange control messages with other vehicles. Unlike other existing works, we decrease the impact of control data overhead on network reliability in terms of message delivery hops and delay. Our simulation results show the proposed method can significantly increase network reliability by reducing message delivery delay, as well as the number of hops needed to deliver a message to the furthermost vehicles in a platoon.

Design Method of English Education Informationization Platform Based on 5G

In recent years, when carrying out educational activities, modern information technology and Internet technology have been integrated with each other to form a variety of educational information platforms, which have gradually replaced the traditional education and teaching methods. Using Internet thinking to improve the application level of education informatization is helpful to improve the quality of education and is of great significance to comprehensively promote the quality education of students. English is an important subject in student learning activities. English learning can improve the comprehensive ability of students, promote the healthy development of students, and enable students to better meet the needs of society. In order to improve learning efficiency, optimize the learning platform, and meet the needs of users, it is imperative to establish a 5G English education information platform. 80% of people in the current society are expecting the arrival of 5G platforms. Considering that in a high-density scenario, the number of terminals is large and the traffic is intensive. If the event scheduling method is still used to process data packets, there will be problems of too many event generations and too long processing time. Computing packet processing architecture. This architecture divides the time axis into multiple time slots. Based on the length and generation time of each data packet, the source terminal number of each data packet is mapped to the corresponding time slot position. By calculating the effective signals and interference in each time slot The strength of the signal is used to obtain performance indicators such as system capacity and throughput.

СТАНДАРТИ ТА ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ МЕРЕЖІ 5GІ МОЖЛИВІСТЬ ЇЇ РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ

The paper investigates the architecture of the 5G network and proposed a variant of the SCOM based parameter monitoring system. You can use this system to collect and analyze network performance information, detect deviations, and notify them for timely removal. Technologies were introduced for the use of the fifth generation GPP mobile network of the fifth generation. Analyzed and proposed for implementation. The current capabilities of the 5th generation network and the technologies for their implementation were also explored. This paper analyzes and provides recommendations for the implementation of the following servers. 5G networks make it possible to significantly increase data rates through various radio access technologies (RATs), and through the use of new 5G NR (New Radio) radio spectrum. Smart Home and Smart Building are available in a variety of different Internet of Things (IoT) services: video surveillance, home automation and control, security management, and more. Virtual Reality (VR) service creates the illusion of moving a person to another world, affecting the sense organs, especially the sight (VR-glasses). Augmented Reality (Augmented Reality) Augmented Reality service combines a real environment with virtual objects. These services are intended not only for entertainment but also for science. The 5G network, along with IoT Internet of Things technology, with the help of Industrial IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) sensors, as well as AI (Artificial Intelligence), can significantly increase the degree of automation of production. This gives the opportunity in real time to analyze large amounts of diverse data (Big Data), both on the basis of insights, and using machine and deep learning (Machine learning, Deep learning). These may include, for example, e-Health, Mission Critical Communication, Tactile Internet, and others. Unmanned transport may be used as part of the Smart City service, but may exist separately. Also on the 5G platform it is possible to implement ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems) driver assistance systems.

What can 5G do for healthcare in Africa?

The local deployment of 5G platforms for 5G-enabled healthcare in hospitals and clinics can provide a route for the development of digital healthcare technologies in rural Africa.

Towards 5G network slicing for vehicular ad-hoc networks: An end-to-end approach

The upcoming 5G networks not only have to support increasing data rates but also must provide a common infrastructure on which new services with vastly different network QoS requirements with lower delay are delivered. More precisely, applications for VANETs, that are mainly oriented to safety issues and entertainment (e.g. video streaming and video-on-demand, web browsing) are increasing. Most of these applications have strict latency constraints of the order of few milliseconds, and very high reliability requirements. To address such needs, a 5G platform needs the ability to dynamically create programmable virtual networks and differentiated traffic treatment utilizing solutions such as network slicing. To this end, in this paper, we propose a programmable and dynamic end-to-end slicing mechanism in an M-CORD based LTE network. One of the key features of M-CORD that the proposed network slicing mechanism utilizes is the virtualized EPC that enables customization and modification. M-CORD provides necessary functionality to program slice definitions, where the proposed mechanism fully follows its software-defined approach. Furthermore, we demonstrate how end devices placed in different slices can be allocated with different QoS treatments from the network operator based on end-user type. The results show that the proposed network slicing mechanism selects appropriate slices and allocates resources to users specific to their needs and service type.

Online VNF Lifecycle Management in an MEC-Enabled 5G IoT Architecture

The upcoming fifth generation (5G) mobile communications urge software-defined networks (SDNs) and network function virtualization (NFV) to join forces with the multiaccess edge computing (MEC) cause. Thus, reduced latency and increased capacity at the edge of the network can be achieved, to satisfy the requirements of the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. If not properly orchestrated, the flexibility of the virtual network functions (VNFs) incorporation, in terms of deployment and lifecycle management, may cause serious issues in the NFV scheme. As the service level agreements (SLAs) of the 5G applications compete in an environment with traffic variations and VNF placement options with diverse computing or networking resources, an online placement approach is needed. In this article, we discuss the VNF lifecycle management challenges that arise from such heterogeneous architecture, in terms of VNF onboarding and scheduling. In particular, we enhance the intelligence of the NFV orchestrator (NFVO) by providing: 1) a latency-based embedding mechanism, where the VNFs are initially allocated to the appropriate tier and 2) an online scheduling algorithm, where the VNFs are instantiated, scaled, migrated, and destroyed based on the actual traffic. Finally, we design and implement an MEC-enabled 5G platform to evaluate our proposed mechanisms in real-life scenarios. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed scheme maximizes the number of served users in the system by taking advantage of the online allocation of edge and core resources, without violating the application SLAs.

End-to-End Slicing as a Service with Computing and Communication Resource Allocation for Multi-Tenant 5G Systems

5G services, such as Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications, Massive Machine Type Communications and Enhanced Mobile Broadband, support low (or ultra-low) latency, a huge number of connections, and high bandwidth. Typically, 5G platforms are shared by multiple tenants, where each tenant has different service deployment requirements and thus requires different amounts of resources from the lower tier (i.e., radio access network and mobile edge) and upper tier (i.e., transport network and central office) of the 5G architecture. Consequently, slicing is a key technology in 5G networks for providing scalability and flexibility in allocating the 5G resources with appropriate isolation. This study proposes an Endto- End Slicing as a Service framework for slicing both computing and communication resources across the full 2-tier multi-access edge computing architecture. The framework is implemented using open source tools. It is shown that the framework successfully isolates the 5G resources, which are computing and communication, between slices (slicing isolation effect ratio equals 1) and ensures that resources of the deployed slices are merely sufficient to meet the latency requirements of the tenants. Moreover, the experiments show that URLLC and mMTC services require more than 70 percent of the needed computing and communication resources be provided by the edge and RAN in order to satisfy their tighter latency requirements. Overall, the results suggest a central to edge resource allocation ratio of 9:1, 3:7, and 1:9 for the eMBB, URLLC, mMTC applications, respectively. Therefore,

Strategic Positioning of Emerging 5G Technology - Barriers and Perspectives

Since its introduction in the late seventies of the last century, mobile wireless communication has undergone significant stages of development, from analogue voice calls to nowadays latest state-of- the-art digital technology. The intense development of mobile communications networks, the increasing number of new types of mobile devices resulted in a large number of new applications being used and will increasingly be used in mobile connectivity and the expected growth of network traffic. The emerging and most promising one, the 5G technology, will probably not appear in the market until 2020 as a full scale commercial platform. 5G platform is expected to significantly improve customer service quality in the context of increased data volume in mobile networks and the growth of wireless devices with different services. In the near future, some of the main goals or requirements to be addressed by the 5G network are increased capacity, improved data transfer rates, reduced latency, and improved service quality. As per technological innovation theory taxonomy and strategic innovative positioning 5G technology is considered as game changer and disruptor. This paper displays how the global level key players, are preparing to introduce and boost the 5G network operability by using an inductive method, where broader EU arena with specific Croatian environment are used as a practitioners show cases.

MM-Wave Phased Array Quasi-Yagi Antenna for the Upcoming 5G Cellular Communications

The focus of this manuscript was to propose a new phased array antenna design for the fifth generation (5G) mobile platforms. Eight elements of compact Quasi-Yagi antennas were placed on the top portion of smartphone printed circuits board (PCB) to form a beam-steerable phased array design. The −10 dB impedance-bandwidth of proposed 5G smartphone antenna spans from 25 GHz to 27 GHz providing 2 GHz bandwidth with less than −16 dB mutual coupling function. A coax-to-microstripline with a truncated crown of vias around the coaxial cable was used as a feeding mechanism for each radiation element. An Arlon Ad 350 substance with properties of ε = 3.5, δ = 0.003, and h = 0.8 mm was chosen as the antenna substrate. The proposed phased array antenna provides wide-angle scanning of 0°~75° with more than 10 dB realized gain levels. For the scanning angle of 0°~60°, the antenna array provides more than 90% (−0.5 dB) radiation and total efficiencies. In addition, the specific absorption rate (SAR) function and radiation performance of the design in the presence of the user-hand/user-hand have been studied. The results validate the feasibility of the proposed design for use in the 5G handheld devices. Furthermore, using the presented Quasi-Yagi elements, the radiation properties of 2 × 2, 4 × 4, and 8 × 8 planar arrays were studied and more than 8.3, 13.5, and 19.3 dBi directivities have been achieved for the designed planar arrays. The results show that the designed arrays (linear & planar) satisfy the general requirements for use in 5G platforms.

Under Test Filtered-OFDM And UFMC 5g Waveform Using Cellular Network

In this study, filtered orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (F-OFDM) and universal filtered multicarrier (UFMC) were proposed for complexity reduction in the 5G waveform. Cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP_OFDM) is well suited for 4G; however, the major problem of the 4G modulation methods is their susceptibility to high peak to average power ratio (PAPR). Another problem of OFDM is the issue of sideband leakage. The existing 4G systems mainly depend on the CP_OFDM waveform, which cannot support the host of applications provided by the 5G platform. 5G-generated traffic is likely to exhibit different features and requirements compared to the existing wireless technology. Consequently, investigations have been devoted to other multiple access schemes. The existing limitations of OFDM can be mitigated by using the UFMC technique. To ensure that the demands and requirements of the upcoming 5G cellular networks are satisfied, this study presents an enabler called filtered-OFDM (f-OFDM) for flexible waveform configurations. Contrarily, the assigned bandwidth in the f-OFDM is split into various sub-bands to accommodate different services in each sub-band using the most suited waveform, thereby enhancing the spectrum utilization using a different filter. Additionally, the advantages of F-OFDM and UFMC were portrayed via a wide comparison with the current 5G waveforms.

Deployment and Resource Distribution of Mobile Edge Hosts Based on Correlated User Mobility

Mobile edge computing (MEC) is the next paradigm to support the enormous growth of diverse mobile applications that require high computational power, low latency, and high bandwidth. The user experience can be enhanced beyond the constrained resources limited by the user equipment by offloading computation-intensive tasks to the mobile edge (ME) hosts. However, ensuring service continuity of the offloaded tasks while users are moving from cell to cell is a critical factor to be kept in mind before selecting the locations suitable for ME host deployment. Therefore, in this paper, we present an optimization model to address the resource distribution problem of mobile users in an ME system so that the total number of tasks accomplished is maximized by considering the user mobility patterns in the network. Despite the fact that the correlation of human mobility during peak hours is present in the traces of urban cities, there is a lack of a correlated human mobility model in the existing literature. We first developed a synthetic correlated mobility model to reproduce the human traces of mobility during morning peak hours. We then developed a utilitarian resource distribution algorithm to solve the ME host deployment and the resource distribution problem. We anticipate that the findings of this paper will contribute to the development of a real-time network management and monitoring system in the ME system to detect changes in MEC resource requirements and optimize MEC resource orchestration based on the predicted user mobility and services’ usage demands. Our proposed methods will: 1) become a critical part of the future network management system of 5G that employs MEC; 2) contribute to the standardization of the MEC and 5G platforms; and 3) help network operators reduce the massive cost of deploying and operating a large number of distributed servers in the next-generation mobile networks.

The CTTC 5G End-to-End Experimental Platform : Integrating Heterogeneous Wireless/Optical Networks, Distributed Cloud, and IoT Devices

The Internet of Things (IoT) will facilitate a wide variety of applications in different domains, such as smart cities, smart grids, industrial automation (Industry 4.0), smart driving, assistance of the elderly, and home automation. Billions of heterogeneous smart devices with different application requirements will be connected to the networks and will generate huge aggregated volumes of data that will be processed in distributed cloud infrastructures. On the other hand, there is also a general trend to deploy functions as software (SW) instances in cloud infrastructures [e.g., network function virtualization (NFV) or mobile edge computing (MEC)]. Thus, the next generation of mobile networks, the fifth-generation (5G), will need not only to develop new radio interfaces or waveforms to cope with the expected traffic growth but also to integrate heterogeneous networks from end to end (E2E) with distributed cloud resources to deliver E2E IoT and mobile services. This article presents the E2E 5G platform that is being developed by the Centre Tecnol\`ogic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), the first known platform capable of reproducing such an ambitious scenario.