5G Heterogeneous Networks

5G Heterogeneous Networks

5g_comm

Data61 is researching and designing ground-breaking systems in the key areas of future 5G networks to connect more and more people, thus transforming our societies and industries in 2020 and beyond. Moreover, we are not just delivering the connection among people, but delivering innovation on top of the connected human societies.

The Challenge

Today’s wireless networks will not be able to meet the upcoming traffic demands that at least a 100x network capacity increase will be required in 2020. Furthermore, user satisfaction and quality-of-experience will be significantly more important in 5G, giving further pressing demands on networks as more people become more connected.

Our Approach

Data61 addresses the challenges using the following approaches to focus on improving network capacity, and accommodating all mobile/cellular users future requirements:

  • Enhancing reuse of the spatial resource through increasing the density of the network
  • Use of larger bandwidths, exploiting higher carrier frequencies
  • Enhancing spectral efficiency through e.g., multi-antenna transmissions, cooperative communications, etc.

5g_approaches

Research Challenges

  1. Resource Allocation: In both the infrastructure based networks and the infrastructure-less D2D networks, it is vital to provide sufficient resources to all users, such as transmit power, available spectrum, and transmission time — to mitigate interference, minimize delay, and obtain adequate throughput—while maximizing quality-of-experience.
  2. Backhaul: For the infrastructure based networks, recent surveys show that 96% of the operators consider backhaul as one of the most important challenges to 5G small cell deployments. Wireless backhaul might be used in the future.
  3. Cost: To improve the cost efficiency of network deployments in 5G, it is important that small cells are developed in enormous numbers to take advantage of economies of scale. Moreover, CAPEX and OPEX should be kept to minimum.
  4. Energy Efficiency: The idle mode capability is key to mitigate inter-cell interference and save energy in 5G.
  5. Full Duplexing: In a full duplex system in 5G, a device can transmit and receive signals at the same time. However, interference will also come from both the downlink and the uplink.
  6. Public safety: Robust and flexible network design that is resilient to both physical and non-physical attacks.