Dionysia Triantafyllopoulou

Licensed Spectrum Sharing Schemes for Mobile Operators: A Survey and Outlook

The ongoing development of mobile communication networks to support a wide range of superfast broadband services has led to massive capacity demand. This problem is expected to be a significant concern during the deployment of the 5G wireless networks. The demand for additional spectrum to accommodate mobile services supporting higher data rates and having lower latency requirements, as well as the need to provide ubiquitous connectivity with the advent of the Internet of Things sector, is likely to considerably exceed the supply, based on the current policy of exclusive spectrum allocation to mobile cellular systems. Hence, the imminent spectrum shortage has introduced a new impetus to identify practical solutions to make the most efficient use of scarce licensed bands in a shared manner. Recently, the concept of dynamic spectrum sharing has received considerable attention from regulatory bodies and governments globally, as it could potentially open new opportunities for mobile operators to exploit spectrum bands whenever they are underutilized by their owners, subject to service level agreements. Although various sharing paradigms have been proposed and discussed, the impact and performance gains of different schemes can be scenario-specific, and may vary depending on the nature of the sharing players, the level of sharing and spectrum access scheme. In this survey, we study the main concepts of dynamic spectrum sharing, different sharing scenarios, as well as the major challenges associated with sharing of licensed bands. Finally, we conclude this survey with open research challenges and suggest some future research directions.

A heuristic cross-layer mechanism for real-time traffic over IEEE 802.16 networks

In this paper we propose and study a cross-layer mechanism that can improve real-time QoS provisioning over IEEE 802.16 metropolitan area networks. This mechanism utilizes information provided by the physical and MAC layers and using a heuristic algorithm it derives new operational parameters for the physical and application layers, which can improve the performance of real-time applications. The main idea is to coordinate the adaptive modulation capability of the physical layer and the multi-rate data-encoding capability of modern real-time applications in order to avoid inefficiencies caused by their independent operation. Simulations show that the proposed mechanism can assist 802.16 systems to better adapt to frequent channel and traffic changes, leading to considerably reduced packet loss rates, especially under heavy traffic conditions.

Energy efficient ANDSF-assisted network discovery for non-3GPP access networks

The aim of this paper is to improve the energy efficiency during network discovery in heterogeneous networking environments. To this end, we propose a novel network discovery algorithm that exploits both user and network context information in order to efficiently adapt the network scanning period, thus avoiding unnecessary energy-consuming scanning or mis-detection of available networks that can be used as targets of handover. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared against a system that performs network scanning in a periodic manner, without taking into consideration the user and network context information. According to simulation results, the system that employs the proposed network discovery algorithm achieves significant performance improvement in terms of energy consumption and network detection delay, with no loss in the network detection rate.

Coordinated Handover Initiation and Cross-Layer Adaptation for Mobile Multimedia Systems

A cross-layer mechanism to improve the performance of real-time applications over IEEE 802.16e metropolitan area networks is presented. The proposed mechanism uses channel quality and service quality information from the physical and medium access control layers, respectively, to determine the most suitable burst profile, transmission power level and media encoding rate for a connection, or even initialize a handover execution. The main contribution of this mechanism is the integration of the handover initiation into the cross layer logic, aiming to improve the overall system performance. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed mechanism offers significant performance improvement in terms of packet loss rate, power consumption, throughput, and system capacity.

A Heuristic Cross-Layer Mechanism for Real-Time Traffic in IEEE 802.16 Networks

In this paper we propose and study a cross-layer mechanism that can improve real-time QoS provisioning over IEEE 802.16 metropolitan area networks. This mechanism utilizes information provided by the Physical and MAC layers and using a heuristic algorithm it derives new operational parameters for the Physical and Application layers, which can improve the performance of real-time applications. The main idea is to coordinate the adaptive modulation capability of the Physical layer and the multi-rate data-encoding capability of modern real-time applications in order to avoid inefficiencies caused by their independent operation. Simulations show that the proposed mechanism can assist 802.16 systems better adapt to frequent channel and traffic changes, leading to considerably reduced packet loss rates, especially under heavy traffic conditions.

Energy-Efficient WLAN Offloading Through Network Discovery Period Optimization

In this paper, we present an analytical framework to improve the energy consumption of mobile nodes through traffic offloading via wireless local area networks (WLANs), taking into account the energy consumption for both data transmission and network discovery operations. More specifically, we formulate an optimization problem, according to which the network scanning period is optimized to minimize the total energy consumption and the energy consumption per transmitted bit in a scenario where a user moves with a constant, either pedestrian or vehicular, speed along a road covered by a long-range cellular network and a number of randomly deployed WLANs. The performance of the system that employs the proposed framework, which uses information on the user speed as well as on the availability and the load level of neighboring networks and performs periodic network scanning with the optimal period, is compared against a suboptimal system that does not take into consideration the user and network context information when determining the network scanning period. According to performance evaluation results, the use of the optimal network scanning period achieves significant improvement in terms of total energy consumption, energy efficiency, and network detection delay.

Cross-Layer Analysis in Cognitive Radio—Context Identification and Decision Making Aspects

Research on context-aware communications has recently led to the introduction of features and algorithms relying on the presence of rich, accurate context information, and requiring however, the introduction of cross-layer information exchanges. Cognitive radio (CR), in particular, is expected to benefit from context awareness, as the cognitive engine (CE) relies on the availability of multiple information sources to operate efficiently. In this context, this work delivers a detailed, yet concise classification and description of the information exchanged in a CR network between the layers of a generic protocol stack, and between each layer and the CE. For each layer, the key services provided and delivered are presented, followed by a catalogue of exchanged parameters. The analysis, supported by a set of use cases providing a quantitative assessment of the impact of crosslayer information exchanges in a CR framework, is the basis for the discussion of key implementation challenges and the identification of the most promising partition of functions and tasks between layers and CE.

Optimal Network Discovery Period for Energy-Efficient WLAN Offloading

In this paper we present an analytical framework that aims to improve the energy efficiency of traffic offloading via Wireless Local Area Networks, taking into account the energy consumption for both data transmission and network discovery operations. More specifically, the network scanning period is optimized in order to minimize the energy consumption in a vehicular scenario where a user moves along a road covered by a long range cellular network and a number of randomly deployed Wireless Local Area Networks. The performance of the system that performs periodic network scanning with the optimal period is compared against a sub-optimal system that does not take into consideration the user and network context information when determining the network scanning period. According to performance evaluation results, the use of the optimal network scanning period achieves significant improvement in terms of energy consumption and network detection delay.

Analysis and optimization of a cross-layer adaptation mechanism for real-time applications in wireless networks

The theoretical analysis of a cross-layer mechanism for improving the quality of service of real-time applications in wireless networks is presented. The mechanism coordinates adaptations of the modulation order at the Physical layer and the media encoding mode at the Application layer, to improve packet loss rate, throughput and mean delay. With the use of Continuous Flow Modeling, the system is considered as a “fluid” queue with inflow and outflow rates representing its traffic generation and service rates, respectively. Each data source is modeled as a Markov chain, from the steady-state of which the optimal adaptation thresholds of the cross-layer mechanism are derived. Extensive performance evaluation results show that the optimized operation of the mechanism attains a significant performance improvement compared to both the sub-optimal case, and a legacy system, which adjusts the modulation order and encoding mode separately and independently of each other.

Transmission power regulation in cooperative Cognitive Radio systems under uncertainties

An algorithm for power control in cooperative Cognitive Radio networks is proposed. The algorithm utilizes Medium Access Control layer mechanisms for message exchange between the nodes, in order to achieve interference mitigation. A fuzzy logic reasoner is used to cope for uncertainties that appear in real life systems, caused from parameters such as non-ideal message exchange or high user mobility. The proposed algorithm is applied in Filter Bank Multicarrier as well as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing systems under various scenarios and its performance is evaluated through extensive simulations. Experimental results indicate improved behavior compared to previous schemes, especially in the case of uncertainties that cause underestimation of the interference levels.