Cellular M2M Research Articles

Tree-Based Resource Allocation for Periodic Cellular M2M Communications

This letter studies the persistent resource-allocation method for periodic cellular machine-to-machine communications in which uplink resources are periodically allocated without any additional control overhead. The key is how to multiplex as many possible machines of different periods onto a single channel. A novel tree structure is proposed to characterize the conditions of multiplexing. Then, a persistent resource-allocation algorithm is proposed, which allocates resource to machines based on the tree. Simulation results show that the number of channels needed by the proposed tree-based resource-allocation method is close to the theoretical lower bound.

On the Impact of Virtual Private Network Technologies on the Operational Costs of Cellular Machine-to-Machine Communications Platforms for Smart Grids

Due to the fact that the information managed in the so-called Smart Grids is extremely sensitive, security is a key requirement for their wide deployment and adoption. However, the use of secure mechanisms entails not only technical costs but also economic costs. This paper discusses several protocols commonly used to establish VPN (Virtual Private Networks) and assesses the impact of using them on the operational costs of a cellular M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communications platform aiming to reduce power consumption and integrate distributed micro-generation at district level.

Pairwise and group key setup mechanism for secure machine-to-machine communication

In the ubiquitous environment, more and more devices are deployed in our daily life, and need to communicate with one another. M2M (Machine-to-Machine) communication is considered to be one of the major issues in future networks. M2M is expected to bring various benefits in wireless communications when it is interconnected with cellular networks. Considering the characteristics of cellular M2M networks, traditional security solutions are not proper to be applied to cellular M2M networks because the M2M network itself is vulnerable to various attacks. We consider security aspects for cellular M2M communications and propose a key management mechanism including the pairwise key and group key establishment. Our proposal could provide reliability and efficiency for the cellular M2M communication network in the secure manner.

A cellular-centric service architecture for machine-to-machine (M2M) communications

A machine-to-machine (M2M) communications system is a large-scale network with diverse applications and a massive number of interconnected heterogeneous machines (e.g., sensors, vending machines and vehicles). Cellular wireless technologies will be a potential candidate for providing the last mile M2M connectivity. Thus, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and IEEE 802.16p, have both specified an overall cellular M2M reference architecture. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), in contrast, has defined a service- oriented M2M architecture. This article reviews and compares the three architectures. As a result, the 3GPP and 802.16p M2M architectures, which are functionally equivalent, complement the ETSI one. Therefore, we propose to combine the ETSI and 3GPP architectures, yielding a cellular-centric M2M service architecture. Our proposed architecture advocates the use of M2M relay nodes as a data concentrator. The M2M relay implements a tunnel-based aggregation scheme which coalesces data from several machines destined to the same tunnel exit-point. The aggregation scheme is also employed at the M2M gateway and the cellular base station. Numerical results show a significant reduction in protocol overheads as compared to not using aggregation at the expense of packet delay. However, the delay rapidly decreases with increasing machine density.

Detecting and Preventing Machine-to-Machine Hijacking Attacks in Cellular Networks

Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications are increasingly popular over cellular networks, due to their unlimited potential and the low cost of deployment. As a result, M2M infrastructures are attractive targets to attackers. For instance, hackers may use a water meter to browse the web over a mobile network. Given the expected tremendous growth of the M2M market within the next few years, such attacks can have a devastating impact on the economics of mobile broadband. However, prior studies in the area of fraud have not considered the inherent properties of cellular M2M deployments. In this paper, we demonstrate how hijacking attacks apply to contemporary networks, and provide a solution for mitigating them. In particular, we propose a novel framework for detecting and preventing M2M device hijacking. Our solution is novel in two main ways: 1) It is network centric, and 2) it completely avoids the use of overhead-intensive cryptographic functions. © 2012 Alcatel-Lucent.