Broadband Fixed Wireless Access Networks Research Articles

Outage performance of dual branch diversity techniques in broadband fixed wireless access networks

New physical–mathematical models for the calculation of the outage probability of the maximal ratio combining and selection combining dual branch spatial diversity schemes for broadband fixed wireless access networks operating above 10 GHz are presented. At these frequency bands and considering line-of-sight conditions, rain attenuation is the dominant fading mechanism, which should be taken into account in the radio communications system design. The models are based on bivariate inverse Gaussian (IG) distribution and on the adoption of a spatial correlation coefficient for the convergent terrestrial wireless links. IG distribution has been shown that models accurately the rain attenuation fading for both temperate and tropical climatic regions. The models are validated with numerical results and some useful conclusions are drawn.

End-to-End Performance Analysis of Millimeter Wave Triple-Hop Backhaul Transmission Systems

Frequencies above 10 GHz nowadays may be employed either for backhaul networks of mobile communication access networks or for broadband fixed wireless access networks. Millimeter wave networks can afford large bandwidth by carrying the aggregate traffic through different network nodes. Consequently, many line-of-sight multi-hop transmissions may occur. At these frequency bands, rain attenuation is the dominant fading mechanism that aggravates the outage performance of these networks. The objective of this paper is the presentation of analytical models for the calculation of the end-to-end performance analysis of a triple-hop system with non-regenerative and regenerative relays using the trivariate lognormal distribution along with a physical model for the calculation of the correlation coefficients among the rain fading channels. Moreover, an accurate rain attenuation time series synthesizer based on multi-dimensional first order Stochastic Differential eqnarrays is employed in order to validate the analytical results. Finally, extended numerical results investigate the impact of various operational and geographical parameters, as well as the influence of the arbitrary position of the relays on the outage system performance.

Performance Evaluation of TV Over Broadband Wireless Access Networks

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access is an emerging wireless access networks offering high data rates and good range. These features, in addition to moderate installation and maintenance costs, make it an appealing last-mile delivery network for IPTV and video applications, especially, in rural regions. However, TV/video delivery must be designed with respect to network characteristics in different environmental conditions. This paper studies the possibility of providing TV and video over the downlink and uplink of this fixed broadband wireless access network without compromising the video quality. The downlink scenario typically corresponds to offering high and standard definition IPTV to customer set-top box, whereas the uplink scenario can be for video surveillance or camera live broadcast. Measurements were taken using professional IPTV and video streaming equipments on commercial IEEE 802.16d system. Analysis was done for different video settings and network configurations in order to characterize network performance and identify video quality in different attenuation and interference conditions. A key outcome of this analysis was the feasibility of TV/video delivery over broadband wireless access networks with good quality of experience provided that system limitations are respected.

Controlling Intercell Interference in CDMA-based Fixed Wireless Networks Through Multirate Techniques

A number of research works have suggested a possible capacity advantage when employing direct sequence-code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) instead of the more common time division multiple access option for fixed broadband wireless access networks operating at millimeter-waves. The choice of this multiple access scheme, which, up to now, has not been foreseen by recent WiMax (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) standards, exhibits an improved performance in terms of cochannel interference in the upstream, even though it experiences higher interference in the downstream. The present paper focuses on enhancing the bottleneck downstream performance of fixed wireless networks by proposing a methodology for controlling the signal-to-interference ratio throughout the cell, so that all subscribers meet the given interference quality-of-service specifications. This is accomplished by exploiting the properties of a combination of multirate CDMA techniques. The paper describes a simple policy for code assignment, which is proved to be optimal, incorporating the effect of rain fading over multiple paths. The performance of the algorithm is tested against single code DS-CDMA both under long term channel statistics (static code assignment) and under dynamic channel effects (dynamic code assignment). The first test verifies the compliance of all sector subscribers with more demanding SIR specifications, while the second yields a significant improvement in terms of resource utilization.

On the applicability of MIMO principle to 10-66GHz BFWA networks: capacity enhancement through spatial multiplexing and interference reduction through selection diversity

This paper investigates the applicability of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) technology to broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) systems operating in the 10-66 GHz frequency range. In order to employ the MIMO principle at these frequencies, the spatial channel benefits that may arise from the rainfall spatial inhomogeneity are more relevant since multipath is insignificant. Therefore, a special MIMO/BFWA channel may be implemented if every subscriber is equipped with multiple antennas and communicates with multiple base stations. The exact relationship between conventional MIMO and the proposed 10-66 GHz MIMO/BFWA channels is established. Then, emphasis is put on two different topics from the field of MIMO applications: (i) capacity enhancement for spatial multiplexed MIMO/BFWA systems; and (ii) interference reduction for MIMO/BFWA diversity systems employing receive antenna selection. More specifically, in the first case, a communication-oriented single-user capacity analysis of a 2 times 2 MIMO/BFWA spatial multiplexing system is presented, the relevant optimal power allocation policy is explored and useful analytical expressions are derived for the outage capacity achieved in the asymptotically low and high SNR regions. The effect of feedback on the capacity is investigated and quantified through Monte Carlo simulations. In the second case, a 2 times 2 MIMO/BFWA diversity system with receive selection combining is considered and its efficiency to mitigate intrasystem/intersystem cochannel interference over the downstream channel is studied from a propagation point of view. A general analytical prediction model for the interference reduction obtained by such a 2times2 MIMO/BFWA diversity system is presented along with a numerical validation.

General N-State Markov Model for Rain Attenuation Time Series Generation

Nowadays and mainly in the near future the wireless point-to-point or point-to-multipoint connections are operating in high frequency. These systems are applied in feeder network for future cellular mobile communication systems or BFWA (Broadband Fixed Wireless Access) networks. Besides the obvious benefits of the applied high carrier frequency there is a significant disadvantage, the considerable attenuation caused by precipitation, especially by rain. For accurate planning of the proposed microwave links the statistics of the expectable rain attenuation is highly important. Applying our previous research results the this work provides a general N-state Markov Chain model to generate rain attenuation time series on a proposed microwave link according to the link parameters. The first and second order rain attenuation statistics of the generated time series can be derived directly from the Markov model parameters, so the N-state Markov model can be applied for prediction of rain attenuation on the proposed link even in the early planning phase. With our proposed model very accurate realisation of the physical fade process can be achieved.

Data Transmission over Rain-Faded Broadband Fixed Wireless Access Channels

The performance evaluation of communication protocols in broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) networks needs the accurate description of the statistical properties of the packet error process. In BFWA networks mainly operating above 20 GHz, a clear line-of-sight (LOS) path is necessary between the base stations (BS) and the subscribers (S). Rain attenuation is the dominant fading mechanism at these frequencies. In this paper, a Markov- based method to estimate the packet loss rate (PLR) performance over a dynamically, due to propagation, varying LOS BFWA channel is presented and tested against simulation results. The proposed method is based on the first- order Markovian modeling of the rain attenuation process. The proposed method can serve as a performance evaluation tool of various modulation and coding schemes (MCS) and is also applicable even when adaptive fade mitigation techniques are employed in the BFWA network.

Rain Scatter Interference in mm-Wave Broadband Fixed Wireless Access Networks Caused by a 2-D Dynamic Rain Environment

The classical Mie scattering theory together with the bistatic radar equation has been applied in this paper to quantify interference levels in broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) for two different network topologies: mesh and cellular. The complete scattering analysis takes into account the realistic variations of rainfall along the propagation paths and inside the common volume. The interfering element is a rain cell model that follows closely the experimental characteristic dimension, decay and movement obtained in recent research by the authors. The signal-to-interference power ratios (S/I) for two different frequencies, 28 and 42 GHz, and several scattering angles have been calculated. They show that, when two beams cross each other, rain-induced interference must be taken into account for an efficient planning of radio communication systems operating at these millimeter-wave frequencies as well as for an adequate design and implementation of fade mitigation techniques.

Quality of Service of Broadband Fixed Wireless Access QPSK Channels Interfered by Adjacent Terrestrial Links

A physical model is presented concerning the quality of service (QoS) statistics of broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) QPSK channels interfered by adjacent terrestrial links operating at the same frequency. The QoS is quantified in terms of the bit-error probability (BEP) of the link. BFWA networks of current interest are mainly operated above 10 GHz assuming line-of-sight (LoS) connection between the base station and the subscriber terminal. In these network configurations, rain attenuation is the dominant fading mechanism and its statistical behavior severely aggravates the nominal interference environment due to the spatial inhomogeneity of rain. The BEP of a coherent QPSK demodulator in the presence of Gaussian noise, cochannel interference and rain attenuation is determined and is related to the relevant performance masks recommended by ITU-R. Numerical results of the proposed model examine how the frequency of operation, the clear-sky interference levels, the length of the interfering path and the climatic conditions affect the QoS of BFWA channels. The spectral and spatial coexistence of BFWA networks and point-to-point links is investigated

Opportunistic Nonorthogonal Packet Scheduling in Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Networks

In order to mitigate high cochannel interference resulting from dense channel reuse, the interference management issues are often considered as essential part of scheduling schemes in fixed broadband wireless access (FBWA) networks. To that end, a series of literature has been published recently, in which a group of base stations forms an interferer group (downlink transmissions from each base station become dominant interference for the users in other in-group base stations), and the scheduling scheme deployed in the group allows only one base station to transmit at a time. As a result of time orthogonality in transmissions, the dominant cochannel interferers are prevented, and hence the packet error rate can be improved. However, prohibiting concurrent transmissions in these orthogonal schemes introduces throughput penalty as well as higher end-to-end packet delay which might not be desirable for real-time services. In this paper, we utilize opportunistic nonorthogonality among the in-group transmissions whenever possible and propose a novel transmission scheduling scheme for FBWA networks. The proposed scheme, in contrast to the proactive interference avoidance techniques, strives for the improvements in delay and throughput efficiency. To facilitate opportunistic nonorthogonal transmissions in the interferer group, estimation of signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is required at the scheduler. We have observed from simulations that the proposed scheme outperforms the reference orthogonal scheme in terms of spectral efficiency, mean packet delay, and packet dropping rate.

Large‐scale modeling of rain fields from a rain cell deterministic model

A methodology to simulate two‐dimensional rain rate fields at large scale (1000 × 1000 km2, the scale of a satellite telecommunication beam or a terrestrial fixed broadband wireless access network) is proposed. It relies on a rain rate field cellular decomposition. At small scale (∼20 × 20 km2), the rain field is split up into its macroscopic components, the rain cells, described by the Hybrid Cell (HYCELL) cellular model. At midscale (∼150 × 150 km2), the rain field results from the conglomeration of rain cells modeled by HYCELL. To account for the rain cell spatial distribution at midscale, the latter is modeled by a doubly aggregative isotropic random walk, the optimal parameterization of which is derived from radar observations at midscale. The extension of the simulation area from the midscale to the large scale (1000 × 1000 km2) requires the modeling of the weather frontal area. The latter is first modeled by a Gaussian field with anisotropic covariance function. The Gaussian field is then turned into a binary field, giving the large‐scale locations over which it is raining. This transformation requires the definition of the rain occupation rate over large‐scale areas. Its probability distribution is determined from observations by the French operational radar network ARAMIS. The coupling with the rain field modeling at midscale is immediate whenever the large‐scale field is split up into midscale subareas. The rain field thus generated accounts for the local CDF at each point, defining a structure spatially correlated at small scale, midscale, and large scale. It is then suggested that this approach be used by system designers to evaluate diversity gain, terrestrial path attenuation, or slant path attenuation for different azimuth and elevation angle directions.

Novel Channel and Polarization Assignment Schemes for 2–11 GHz Fixed–Broadband Wireless Access Networks

The scarcity of available spectrum in the 2---11 GHz frequency range and the continuously increasing number of users that require broadband communication services suggest that emerging fixed-broadband wireless access (F-BWA) networks will be deployed with aggressive frequency re-use to cope with capacity demands. In this context, co-channel interference may arise in high levels compromising the system's capacity and robust operation. Interference is further increased when limited directionality terminal antennas are employed to support non line-of-sight operation and in the case where an adaptive-time division duplex is selected for efficient radio resource management in asymmetric and time-varying traffic conditions. In this paper frequency channel assignment (CA) and antenna polarization assignment (PA) are considered as a means of mitigating interference. Two novel CA schemes that consider the distinct characteristics of F-BWA are proposed; the rotated-interleaved channel assignment and the non-uniform channel assignment. According to statistical interference simulation analysis the proposed schemes are more efficient in suppressing interference, achieving higher capacity compared to existing schemes while incurring no further complexity. In addition, instead of exploiting the performance of CA and PA schemes independently a framework for a joint CA-PA consideration is presented, where for a particular CA scheme an optimized PA pattern is developed. Results show that this approach improves the CA-PA interoperability increasing the overall performance. The efficiency of the proposed schemes is investigated for both FDD and adaptive-TDD schemes and is verified for various sectorization, frequency re-use and terminal antenna directivity configurations to ensure compatibility with different deployment scenarios.

An Adaptive Traffic Load Balancing Method for Multi-Hop Mesh Networks in Broadband Fixed Wireless Access Systems

Broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) systems with multi-hop mesh topologies have attracted considerable attention as a promising technology for next generation, high quality, high capacity, and high density access infrastructures. The primary advantages of mesh network topologies are an improvement of capacity by means of traffic engineering throughout the networks. This paper discusses an adaptive traffic load balancing method that maximizes the capacity for the mesh BFWA networks. Taking into account the variation of network conditions such as traffic demand distributions and qualities of wireless links, the adaptive traffic load balancing method attempts to equalize the utilization of capacity for each wireless link. To avoid deteriorating the performance of TCP communications, the proposed method implements flow-based traffic load balancing. Performance of the proposed adaptive traffic load balancing method is demonstrated and validated using the experimental mesh network environments with wired networks with up to sixteen nodes that emulates the variation of the wireless link capacity.

Wireless Node Architecture and Its Implementation for Multi-Hop Mesh Networks in IP-Based Broadband Fixed Wireless Access Systems

Broadband fixed wireless access (BFWA) systems with multi-hop mesh topologies have attracted considerable attention as a promising technology for next generation, high quality, high capacity, and high density access infrastructures. The primary advantages of mesh network topologies are an improvement of availability in connectivity between pairs of nodes by means of diversity routes. This paper discusses wireless node architecture that enables the integrated control of route diversity and traffic engineering together with the control of wireless links whose quality and performance could be affected by radio propagation conditions. Taking into account the functional requirements for multi-hop mesh BFWA networks, such as adaptive link configuration with multiple channels, distributed network management, and traffic engineering in mesh networks, the entity called network control unit (NCU) is designed and developed on a common UNIX based server computer. Implemented functions and their performance are demonstrated using the experimental environments with wired networks.

On the scalability of fixed broadband wireless access network deployment

Fixed broadband wireless access systems, such as the local multipoint distribution service, use an open system architecture that supports a scalable solution for the Internet services over IEEE 802.16 wireless networks. This article presents an overview of various features of BWA systems toward realizing a high level of scalability to support a potentially fast expanding network. This is achieved by optimizing various network resources, which include utilizing the available bandwidth efficiency, making a minor enhancement to an existing system that minimizes the disruption to network services during the network expansion process, and combining the benefits of different features to increase network capacity.

Opposite-sector uplink interference in broadband FWA networks in high-rise cities

A deterministic propagation model is used to simulate broadband radio propagation at 3.5 GHz for a fixed wireless access (FWA) network in a high-rise city environment, with linear antenna polarisation. It is shown that some rooftop locations are unsuitable positions for subscriber units (SUs), due to the existence of single- or multiple-bounce reflected rays causing uplink interference. Furthermore, it is shown that it is usually possible to find an SU position just a few metres away on the same rooftop that gives much lower uplink interference.

A probing process for dynamic resource allocation in fixed broadband wireless access networks

The paper deals with the support of both real-time and non-real-time communication services in a broadband fixed wireless access network. It investigates the feasibility of dynamically allocating the bandwidth not utilized by other sectors in the staggered resource allocation method. A new medium-access control (MAC) protocol based on the proposed probing process that does not need information exchange and coordination among base stations is presented to improve data packet transmission. The probing process detects available slots unused by other sectors to provide a higher capacity in sectorized cells. A simplified C-PRMA, referred to as prioritized access with centralized polling command, is adopted to implement the probing process effectively. Simulation results show that the proposed MAC protocol with probing process provides an improvement over C-PRMA. In terms of data traffic, the proposed protocol increases the link capacity to near 100% as opposed to 78% for C-PRMA when the workload of other sectors is 69% of the link capacity. In terms of voice traffic, the probing process provides 23% more user capacity than C-PRMA when there are 20 voice users in other sectors.

Study of LMDS Videoconferencing System

LMDS is one kind of fixed broadband wireless access network. It uses radio spectrum between 10GHz and 40GHz to transmit voice, video, and data signals within small cell 3-10 miles in diameter. This paper proposes some key technical scenarios to support videoconferencing services transported on LMDS. Firstly, two kinds of typical LMDS lower layer standards made by DAVIC and 802.16 separately are discussed from the angle of supporting video conferencing services. Then, H.323 is studied and recommended as the standard of LMDS video conferencing system. And some strategies are proposed to support H.323 services on LMDS. After that, IP multicast technology, the key supporting technology of H.323, is studied from the angle of running on LMDS. Scenarios for IGMP, RMTP protocol running on LMDS are suggested and analyzed with Markov network queuing theory. The technical scenarios proposed by this paper make use of the transporting property of LMDS to support LMDS videoconferencing system more effectively.

Optimal DLC protocol configuration for realistic broadband fixed wireless access networks based on ATM

DLC protocols, scheduling, and multiplexing issues for broadband fixed wireless access networks based on ATM are discussed. The established DSA++ mac protocol has been developed at ComNets and has been widely applied within the German project ATMmobil. It has been a fundamental contribution to the etsi bran standardisation of HIPERLAN /2. The DSA++ is here modified to perform optimal within the fixed wireless access network environment. Therefore, realistic traffic as well as radio channel models for the respective scenarios are introduced. Simulation results are presented, showing the feasibility of the respective protocol stack for offering broadband multimedia services with reasonable quality of service. In addition to this advanced protocol approach, two systems are discussed which are currently under standardisation process. The IEEE 802.16 as well as the European hiperaccess systems are both proposed for fixed wireless access networks. Expected scenarios and applications are presented and basic requirements the standards have to fulfil are derived. As another aspect of access networks, their impact on the global information society is discussed.

Smart antennas for broadband wireless access networks

This article is an overview of smart antenna applications in fixed broadband wireless access networks. Different smart antenna techniques are described including advances such as "spatial multiplexing" that can dramatically increase the performance of BWA networks. The impact of SA techniques on capacity and throughput of BWA networks is discussed.