Olav Queseth

Scenarios for 5G mobile and wireless communications: the vision of the METIS project

METIS is the EU flagship 5G project with the objective of laying the foundation for 5G systems and building consensus prior to standardization. The METIS overall approach toward 5G builds on the evolution of existing technologies complemented by new radio concepts that are designed to meet the new and challenging requirements of use cases todays radio access networks cannot support. The integration of these new radio concepts, such as massive MIMO, ultra dense networks, moving networks, and device-to-device, ultra reliable, and massive machine communications, will allow 5G to support the expected increase in mobile data volume while broadening the range of application domains that mobile communications can support beyond 2020. In this article, we describe the scenarios identified for the purpose of driving the 5G research direction. Furthermore, we give initial directions for the technology components (e.g., link level components, multinode/multiantenna, multi-RAT, and multi-layer networks and spectrum handling) that will allow the fulfillment of the requirements of the identified 5G scenarios.

Rethinking the mobile and wireless network architecture: The METIS research into 5G

The METIS project is laying the foundation of 5G mobile and wireless communication systems putting together the point of view of vendors, operators, third party players and academia. In particular, METIS is developing and evaluating the key technology components of 5G systems. In this framework, a new mobile and wireless network architecture is required to accommodate those technical enablers and communication paradigms while taking into account existing and emerging architectural trends. This article provides an overview of the METIS system and architecture research into this future mobile and wireless network, discussing various alternatives and perspectives.

Algogrithms for link adaptation in GPRS

In the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) development of GSM, four error correcting coding schemes have been defined to allow for variations in radio channel conditions. In this paper, two algorithms for link adaptation (i.e. choosing the most suitable coding scheme for transmission) are discussed. The first one is based on the estimated C/I (ECI) of the transmission and the second one on block error rate (BLER). The results of the study indicate that algorithms based on estimated C/I are superior to those based on block error rate. The improvement in terms of throughput per user is in the order of 10%. Both algorithms are superior to any fixed coding scheme. One problem that is apparent when using link adaptation is the degree of fairness in the system. Unfortunately, both the proposed algorithms show disturbing variations in throughput between different users. This is true also for the ideal case, where throughput is maximized by basing the choice of coding scheme on actual C/I.

METIS research and standardization: A path towards a 5G system

METIS has been conducting research on 5G-enabling technology components the last two years and the METIS 5G system concept is being developed. Concurrently the 5G requirements are being developed in ITU-R. Standardization of relevant technology components is the next step towards the deployment of 5G systems. In this article we outline the METIS 5G concept and how it will be further refined in Horizon 2020 projects before being brought to 3GPP and other relevant standardization bodies.

The performance of adaptive frequency allocation in an environment of non-cooperative interference

WLAN technology is likely to be a part of future wireless broadband communication systems. As the wireless unlicensed radio traffic increases, the need for good solutions to co-existence problems caused by interference becomes apparent. In this paper the performance of a hypothetical WLAN operating at 17 GHz, using decentralized dynamic channel allocation, is assessed in regard to its susceptibility to external interference. Three different interference cases are studied. The first case is narrowband static interference. The second case is wideband interference, similar to the interference caused by a spread spectrum system. The third case is agile interference caused by a frequency hopping system. In all cases the WLAN and the interferers are located in the same geographical location. The results suggest that the chosen channel allocation algorithm, adaptive frequency allocation, provides excellent channel plans within seconds from start-up as long as the interference is static. It is however not, as it is defined here, able to perform well when the interfering devices use frequency hopping technology.

A multidisciplinary study of competition in unlicensed networks

At the same time as 3G networks are deployed low-cost WLAN technology is used to create high data rate coverage in hotspots. Should this be viewed as a complement to 3G systems or is it a competitor? To understand, these technical properties of short range systems are mapped on the influence on the microeconomic firm behaviour. The influence on competition and the possibility to gain benefits from cheating are studied. The results indicate competition can be ensured.

5G Spectrum: enabling the future mobile landscape [Guest Editorial]

The arrival of the fifth generation (5G) is expected to come together with three important enablers. First, the densification of access nodes will continue. Second, 5G networks must be highly flexible and adapt to the dynamism of the traffic location and patterns. For this, some of the radio access network (RAN) functionalities will run in large computer centers, able to dynamically assign more or fewer units of computation to the virtual cells distributed in the network. Finally, a complex landscape of spectrum availability and access will emerge where multiple frequency bands, subject to different regulations including various forms of shared spectrum, are expected to be available to wireless communication systems.