Mobile Broadband Use Research Articles

Study of the Performance Enhancement of Sc-Doped AlN Super High Frequency Cross-Sectional Lamé Mode Resonators

The increasing use of mobile broadband requires new acoustic filtering technologies that can operate efficiently at frequencies above 6 GHz. Previous research has shown that AlN Super High Frequency (SHF) Cross-Sectional Lamé Mode resonators (CLMRs) can address this challenge, but their performance is limited by the piezoelectric strength of AlN. In this work, we explore the use of substitutional doping of Al in AlN with Sc to enhance the kt2 values of SHF CLMRs. Our results showed that the measured kt2·Qm product of Al72Sc28N CLMRs was four times greater than that of AlN CLMRs operating at the same frequency. Additionally, the measured fractional bandwidth (FWB) of Al72Sc28N 2nd order ladder filters was 4.13%, a fourfold improvement over AlN filters with the same design. We also discuss other aspects of the technology, such as power handling, losses, and spurious mode suppression, and identify potential areas for future research.

Demand for Mobile Broadband Use by South African Households: Does Gender Matter

Gender equality is crucial to a thriving, contemporary economy that will ultimately benefit everyone in addition to being a fundamental human right. The emergence of the digital era has created new opportunities for the economic empowerment of women and has the potential to advance the cause of gender equality. Internet, digital platforms, mobile phones, and digital financial services may empower women to earn more money, expand their employment alternatives, and gain access to general information and expertise. They will be able to advance past men because they will have access to these opportunities. The goal of the study was to ascertain how gender affected South African household demand for mobile broadband. The findings show that the demand for mobile broadband among South African households is significantly influenced by gender. The data shows that compared to being female, being male increases the probability of needing mobile broadband service. The fact that males had 1.812 times more likelihood than females to pursue mobile broadband may be due to gender-based disparities in the availability of income. In order to increase women's levels of productivity, economic security, and overall quality of life, the study's findings recommend that the government implement programmes to promote their use of mobile broadband. Affordability, a lack of education and skills, and technological literacy should also be at the centre of policy objectives designed to increase women's desire for internet access.

Does mobile broadband use promote smallholder entrepreneurship? Evidence from rural China

ABSTRACT This study explored the impact of mobile broadband use on smallholders’ entrepreneurial engagement and willingness using data from a household survey collected from three provinces in China. We used an endogenous switching probit model to account for the potential selection bias associated with mobile broadband use. The empirical results indicated that mobile broadband use exerted positive and statistically significant impacts on smallholders’ entrepreneurial engagement and willingness. In particular, we found that mobile broadband use increased the probability of smallholders’ entrepreneurial engagement and willingness by 15.1 and 50.9% points, respectively. Further analysis revealed that the effects of mobile broadband use on smallholder entrepreneurship were heterogeneous across regions. Additionally, we found that while the impact of mobile broadband use on entrepreneurial engagement was the largest for smallholders with high income, its impact on entrepreneurial willingness appeared to be the greatest for smallholders with low income. This study extended the literature by analysing smallholder entrepreneurship and provided evidence on the effect of mobile ICT on smallholder entrepreneurship.

Physical Layer Famous Waveform Approaches for Fifth Generation Cellular Network

Many developments are taking place in the network to meet the 5G (Fifth generation) cellular network requirements; one of the very important research areas is the physical layer architecture and techniques. Studies related to the spectrum efficiency maximization indicate that the 5G air interface technology will also need to be flexible and capable of mapping various services to the best suitable combinations of frequency and radio resources.This paper investigates the physical layer waveform approaches as part of enhanced mobile broadband use case in 5G, and finds the Cyclic-Prefix Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (CP-OFDM) as a suitable approach by comparing performance parameters where the filtering and windowing can result in degradation of the quality of the signal which is measured via Error Vector Magnitude(EVM). It also attempts to enhance the down link performance between the base station and user equipment by using power amplifier clipping technique, while modelling the downlink channel by implementing channel coding, synchronization signal burst generation, different subcarrier spacing and frame numerologies for different propagation channel and different waveform approaches.

INVESTIGATION OF A MILLIMETER-WAVE RADIO LINK CHARACTERISTICS OF IEEE 802.11AD STANDARD IN URBAN AREAS

Background. The explosive growth in the use of mobile broadband is significantly increasing the bandwidth requirements. Millimeter-wave spectrum is necessary for 5G networks to achieve data transfer rates of the order of Gb/s, in particular, for the provision of 3D video services, and the use radio modules for millimeter-wave frequencies as picocells in the streets will expand the capabilities of existing cellular networks and provide an increase in bandwidth. Therefore, the study of the characteristics of this spectrum is an urgent task today.
 Objective. The purpose of the paper is to present the results of studying the characteristics of a millimeter-wave radio link to ensure high-speed user access to IP data transmission networks and the possibility of using the IEEE 802.11ad standard in open areas.
 Methods. Structural and functional methods of constructing a millimeter-wave wireless network in urban areas based on IEEE 802.11ad standard hardware are investigated.
 Results. The studies were carried out using a test bench with a point-to-point topology deployed in an urban environment (Kiev) with the line of sight without significant obstacles. The studies tested the possibility of using for millimeter-wave hardware technologies of the IEEE 802.11ad standard, which is used indoors, for applications in urban areas.
 The use of a narrow beam antenna based on an antenna array allows adaptive control of the radiation pattern to bypass small obstacles blocking direct transmission, which allows reducing interference and receive/transmit a signal.
 Conclusions. Experimental testing of the hardware capabilities of the IEEE 802.11ad standard has been carried out. Scenarios for constructing a millimeter-wave radio link under various weather conditions have been worked out.
 Keywords: millimeter-wave; bandwidth; IEEE 802.11ad standard; 5G networks

Performance Analysis of Indoor mmWave Networks With Ceiling-Mounted Access Points

The objective of the Enhanced Mobile Broadband use case in 5G networks is to deliver high capacity access to densely populated areas, like city centres, transportation hubs or convention centres. Millimetre-wave communications are the go-to technology to realise that objective, yet due to weak outdoor-to-indoor penetration, outdoor deployments will not suffice and dedicated indoor deployments will be necessary. In this article, we study dense deployments of millimetre-wave access points mounted on the ceiling, with directional antennas pointing downwards to illuminate selected spots on the ground. In this setup, the signal propagation is primarily limited by human body blockages. Therefore, we develop a body blockage model and derive an expression for the probability of blockage. Using the developed expressions and our simulation framework, we assess the impact of densification and body blockage on the achievable performance. We find that both coverage and area spectral efficiency curves exhibit non-trivial behaviour with respect to the access point density and that there is an optimal beamwidth-density configuration that only maximises either coverage or area spectral efficiency. Such optimal configuration changes depending on the body blockage probability, leading to a necessity for network designers to carefully consider their intended application and scenario.

Spectral Efficiency Improvement Techniques In Massive Mimo For 5G Communications

Wireless communications has gotten one of the quickest developing zones in our advanced life and makes colossal effect on practically every component of our day by day life. 5G should support a large number of new applications with a wide assortment of prerequisites, including higher pinnacle and client information rates, diminished dormancy, improved indoor inclusion, expanded number of gadgets, etc. The normal traffic development in at least a long time from now can be fulfilled by the consolidated utilization of more range, higher spectral efficiency, and densification of cells. The increment in spectral effectiveness will improve the throughput of the system which straightforwardly serves the Enhanced Mobile Broad band use instance of the 5G assistance. In massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (M-MIMO) systems few hundred quantities of antennas are conveyed at each base station (BS) to serve a moderately modest number of single-reception apparatus terminals with multiuser, giving higher information rate and lower idleness. Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output is the arising innovation in cell system for higher information rate correspondence. It utilizes enormous number of communicating reception apparatus at the base station which is made conceivable by the radio wire cluster which can be electronically steerable and adequately utilized for shaft framing. Spectral proficiency is the vital boundary to be improved in expanding throughput. The system execution under different commonsense limitations and conditions, for example, restricted soundness block length, number of base station (BS) antennas, and number of dynamic clients are assessed through simulation.

Data Must Fall the Politics of Mobile Telecommunications Tariffs in South Africa

For three decades the government of South Africa has sought to make telecommunications universally available and affordable. In its last days, the National Party (NP) government persuaded with the African National Congress (ANC) there should be licences for two international groups to build competing GSM mobile networks, under an independent regulator, implicitly adopting a regulatory state model. The fall of the USSR and commitments to globalisation left no alternative. Vodacom and MTN launched post-paid services in 1994 and in 1996 greatly widened the market with pre-paid services. The government licensed a third operator in 2000, but not a fourth, until it permitted state-owned Telkom to use its existing licence in 2010, after it had sold out of Vodacom. Neither had much effect on the market, because of weak regulation of the two entrenched mobile operators. The high charges and limited availability of fixed networks meant most citizens relied on mobile communications, though cost excluded some intermittently and many permanently. Despite growing use of mobile broadband, complaints about the high prices became demands that #DataMustFall, echoing other Fallism campaigns. The government pressed operators to cut mobile data prices and two ministers separately directed the Competition Commission and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to investigate and act. After three years the former identified discrimination against the poor and forced concessions from the operators. Following over a decade of delays by a string of ministers, ICASA prepared to auction spectrum in 2020, that would reduce operator costs and improve rural coverage, though most was designated for a novel and risky wholesale operator. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, spectrum was assigned temporarily to existing operators. Several years after recognition of the complaint, only the Competition Commission had delivered.

Determinants of mobile broadband use in developing economies: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Broadband is seen as a vector of economic growth and social development. In the developing world, mobile technologies are widely adopted and mobile broadband is progressively rolled-out with high expectations on its impact on the countries’ development. We highlight what the determinants of mobile broadband use are in four Sub-Saharan countries. Using micro-level data coming from household surveys over 5 years, from 2013 to 2017, we show that SIM card ownership and being part of an online social community has a strong positive impact on mobile broadband use. We also highlight a positive correlation between digital inclusion and financial inclusion as mobile money users and bank account users are found to be more inclined to use mobile broadband. However, beyond apparent similarities, mobile broadband is used in different ways according to countries specificities. For instance, among the non-mobile owners in Nigeria, the unemployed are the most likely to use mobile broadband, most probably for job search practices, while it is rather used by students for information gathering in other countries. Finally we show that those excluded from mobile broadband use are the eldest, those with the lowest level of education, and women.

A Complete LTE Mathematical Framework for the Network Slice Planning of the EPC

5G is the next telecommunications standards that will enable the sharing of physical infrastructures to provision ultra short-latency applications, mobile broadband services, Internet of Things, etc. Network slicing is the virtualization technique that is expected to achieve that, as it can allow logical networks to run on top of a common physical infrastructure and ensure service level agreement requirements for different services and applications. In this vein, our paper proposes a novel and complete solution for planning network slices of the LTE EPC, tailored for the enhanced Mobile BroadBand use case. The solution defines a framework which consists of: i) an abstraction of the LTE workload generation process, ii) a compound traffic model, iii) performance models of the whole LTE network, and iv) an algorithm to jointly perform the resource dimensioning and network embedding. Our results show that the aggregated signaling generation is a Poisson process and the data traffic exhibits self-similarity and long-range-dependence features. The proposed performance models for the LTE network rely on these results. We formulate the joint optimization problem of resources dimensioning and embedding of a virtualized EPC and propose a heuristic to solve it. By using simulation tools, we validate the proper operation of our solution.

English

This study extends Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to study inhibitors and enablers of the use of mobile broadband in Africa. The conceptual model tested incorporates two key constructs into TAM: Perceived price and energy —are also analyzed. Results from online survey, of 114 mobile internet consumers supported the model. The study identified the factors that can influence their decision-making and the various obstacles they face in the use of mobile-broadband. The theoretical and managerial implications of these results are discussed. Key words: Mobile-broadband usage, TAM, Sub-Saharan Africa, structural equation.

Reducing spectrum use in traditional and SFN-based television for uniform and non-uniform deployments

During the last few years, reclaiming TV spectrum for mobile broadband use has been a hotly debated topic in the telecommunications policy agenda. This paper evaluates two ways to improve spectrum efficiency to today's noise-limited single-transmitter broadcast television approach. One way is to increase the transmit power of each broadcaster's only transmitter. The other way is to replace that single transmitter with a multi-transmitter low-power low-tower (LPLT) single frequency network (SFN). In order to quantify their potential benefits, two different scenarios are considered. First, this paper presents the results obtained for a large region in which broadcasters are uniformly distributed, so that the number of TV broadcasts that can be received is roughly the same at any location. In this case, results suggest that increasing power of traditional single-transmitter broadcasters could reduce the amount of spectrum needed for TV by up to 30%, and would be cost-effective for population densities above 30 per square km. A switch to SFNs could reduce the amount of spectrum needed for TV by roughly 60%, but at a higher cost. Results suggest that the LPLT SFN approach could be cost-effective for regions with uniformly distributed broadcasters and population densities above 120 per square km. The study then quantifies spectrum efficiency gains in regions where broadcasters are not uniformly distributed. In particular, it considers the case where U.S. broadcasters in the UHF band continue to serve their coverage areas as of 2015. In this case, the amount of spectrum that can be freed from TV throughout the entire nation using these two approach is considerably smaller, but some additional bands can be freed from TV throughout much of the nation. Moreover, most of these spectrum gains can be obtained when only a minority of broadcasters change their technical approach.

Fixed broadband or mobile: What makes us more civically engaged?

Mobile broadband use has increased dramatically in the United States since 2010, more than doubling the amount of fixed connections. As this transformation proceeds, an open question is whether the relationship between broadband use and civic engagement differs by the type of technology utilized. This study uses nationally representative data to assess the relationships between types of household broadband access and levels of civic engagement in 2013. Results from two econometric methods suggest that in comparison to households without any type of broadband, having a fixed-only connection is more strongly associated with taking local civic action than is having a mobile-only connection. Mobile-only access does, however, demonstrate importance for particular subgroups that may be heavily dependent on them, such as African-American and young households.

Coexistence of DTT and Mobile Broadband: A Survey and Guidelines for Field Measurements

This article provides a survey and a general methodology for coexistence studies between digital terrestrial television (DTT) and mobile broadband (MBB) systems in the ultra high frequency (UHF) broadcasting band. The methodology includes characterization of relevant field measurement scenarios and gives a step-by-step guideline on how to obtain reliable field measurement results to be used in conjunction with link budget analyses, laboratory measurements, and simulations. A survey of potential European coexistence scenarios and regulatory status is given to determine feasible future use scenarios for the UHF television (TV) broadcasting band. The DTT reception system behavior and performance are also described as they greatly affect the amount of spectrum potentially available for MBB use and determine the relevant coexistence field measurement scenarios. Simulation methods used in determining broadcast protection criteria and in coexistence studies are briefly described to demonstrate how the information obtained from field measurements can be used to improve their accuracy. The presented field measurement guidelines can be applied to any DTT-MBB coexistence scenarios and to a wide range of spectrum sharing and cognitive radio system coexistence measurements.

Optimization of Spectrum Allocation and Subsidization in Mobile Communication Services

The mobile traffic explosion has caused spectrum shortage and polarization of data usage among users, which will eventually decrease user welfare (UW) in mobile communication services. Governments around the world are planning to make more spectrum available for mobile broadband use, and the key policy issue is to find an efficient spectrum allocation method that will improve UW. In this paper, we propose a data subsidy scheme where the regulator offers a spectrum price discount to mobile network operators (MNOs) in return for imposing the responsibility of providing a predefined data amount to users free of charge. To analyze the subsidy effect, we adopt the two-stage approach of Cournot and Bertrand competition and find a Nash equilibrium (NE) of the competition. An interesting observation is that the increase in UW does not involve MNO profit (MP) loss and that the increasing amount is higher than the regulator's expenses for implementing the data subsidy scheme. Most of the paper concerns the duopoly competition, which is finally extended to the general case.

Spectrum policy issues for millimeter wave mobile communications [Spectrum Policy and Regulatory Issues

National and international researchers and spectrum regulators have opened the issue of mobile broadband use of spectrum above 20 GHz, often called millimeter wave (mmW) because of the wavelengths involved. It is ironic that when the author first started working in spectrum policy in 1979, conventional wisdom was that land mobile use above even 1 GHz was impractical. Indeed, the original U.S. motivation for considering high definition television, which later evolved into digital television, was an attempt by U.S. broadcasters to derail an initiative by land mobile interests for more spectrum sharing access to UHF-TV spectrum because that was thought to be the only available new band which would work in land mobile applications [1].

A system dynamics approach to demand and allocation of wireless spectrum for mobile communication

The National Broadband Plan recommends that the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) should make 300 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum available for mobile broadband use within five years. Finding this spectrum is a major issue as radio spectrum is an encumbered and finite resource. Therefore, the case must be made that “Spectrum Utilization” is not optimal under current conditions and the “Spectrum Scarcity” is for real. The study presented here takes the System Dynamics approach to demonstrate how this situation might be justified. We utilize Stock and Flow model to reconstruct the framework recommended by the FCC and present results that justify the need for more spectrum.The paper also explains why System Dynamics appears to be a comprehensive approach to address wireless industry's “Spectrum Scarcity and Utilization” problem. Dynamic behavior among different variables of the wireless ecosystem is also analyzed through simulation. Preliminary simulation results show that mobile data demand will exceed the current capacity of cellular networks and will create a deficit if more spectrum is not released. We conclude the paper highlighting future research work - expanding and calibrating the model - using System Dynamics techniques.

Lessons from ‘Bill Shock’ – Trans-Border Mobile Tariff Structures

In cases of “bill shock” customers receive invoices from hundred to tens of thousands of Euro for use of mobile broadband when abroad. The EU Roaming Regulation requires operators to protect customers by providing prices and managing their monthly spending limit. In the USA, the FCC has an inquiry into bill shock, while the governments of Australia and New Zealand have a consultation on high roaming charges. Existing consumer protection measures have proved insufficient. All members of the mobile ecosystem need to be alert to possible distortions in tariffs in which unusual and disproportionate charges can be incurred.

Evaluation of the opportunity cost of the spectrum: Application to the digital dividend

The transition to digital television transmission (DTT) creates an opportunity for revising the current allocation and use of the spectrum, and for enhancing its efficiency. The fairly large amount of spectrum that will be freed up in the analog TV switch-off is known as the digital dividend. Many EU countries have decided to partially allocate these frequencies, through market mechanisms, to mobile use, but a large fraction of the dividend is supposed to remain in the hands of broadcasters. An efficient management of the spectrum requires that the use of this resource should be supported through appropriate incentive policies. This paper presents a techno-analytical approach to evaluate the opportunity cost of using a spectrum portion within the digital dividends’ bandwidths, for example around 800–900 MHz, for both DVB-T and UMTS services, specifically addressing the extraordinary rise in the use of mobile broadband in the European context. The methodology is then applied to Italy to derive a baseline for administered prices reflecting the cost of spectrum use. Results obtained are then compared with existing evidences from other studies and Countries’ experiences.

The allocation of the digital dividend in Austria

The digital dividend is the amount of spectrum that is freed up by the switchover from analogue TV to digital terrestrial TV in the ultra high frequency band. Drawing from a research project (Braulke et al. 2010) commissioned by the Austrian regulator Rundfunk und Telekommunikations Regulierungs GmbH, this article prioritizes, analyses and evaluates the options of use of the 790–862 MHz frequency band – the so-called ‘upper digital dividend’ in Austria. The underlying economic considerations are based on an analysis of the incremental value. The two main options are the use of the spectrum for digital television and the use for mobile broadband (MBB). The economic analysis clearly shows that the use of the upper digital dividend for MBB would generate the highest economic value. The Austrian government has, based on this analysis, decided to assign the upper digital dividend for MBB use from 2012 onwards. An auction of the spectrum will take place in 2011.