Collaborative Research: Extreme Densification of Wireless Networks

网络密集化是满足对移动数据的巨大需求的前进方向。在物理域中，大量基站和接入点具有重叠的无线足迹和不同的功能。该项目的主要目标是重新评估设计无线网络和管理频谱使用的方式，以利用密集接入基础设施。该项目预计将在三个领域做出贡献：1)通信和网络协议的设计、分析和原型，通过利用新兴的灵活接入技术，实现对共享频谱上的传输的前所未有的精细控制，而不需要高协调开销；2)设计和分析新颖、简单和稀疏状态的算法，利用这种系统的巨大灵活性来实现接近最佳的资源分配；3)使用平均场博弈对极端密集无线网络进行建模和分析，以评估在该机制下提供商之间的资源共享性能，以及评估部署一系列契约结构的经济和政策激励。所提出的研究活动主要依赖于对极端密集网络的可靠理论和分析、算法开发、大规模系统的模拟以及最终的小规模机制的原型。这项研究将成为改变传统无线网络模式的催化剂，从基础设施点连接到多个移动设备，转变为移动设备连接到大量基础设施节点。这项研究将广泛传播给研究人员、从业者和政策制定者，特别是利用强大的行业研究中心，以及接触公立高中学生、家长和教师的努力。

Network densification - where a multitude of base-stations and access points with overlapping wireless footprints and disparate capabilities pervade the physical domain - is the way forward towards meeting the tremendous demand for mobile data. The main objective of this project is to reevaluate the manner in which wireless networks are engineered and spectrum usage is managed so as to exploit dense access infrastructure. The project is expected to make contributions in three areas: 1) Design, analysis and prototyping of communications and network protocols to enable unprecedented fine grain control over transmissions over shared spectrum without requiring high coordination overheads, by leveraging emerging agile access techniques; 2) Design and analysis of novel, simple and sparse-state algorithms that leverage the large flexibility in such systems to achieve near-optimal resource allocations; 3) Modeling and analysis of extreme dense wireless networks using mean field games to both evaluate the performance of resource sharing between providers in this regime, as well as evaluate economic and policy incentives to deploy a range of contractual structures.The proposed research activity relies heavily on the development of sound theory and analysis of extremely dense networks, algorithmic development, simulation for large-scale systems and finally prototyping small-scale regimes. The research will serve as a catalyst towards changing traditional wireless networking paradigm, from one where infrastructure points connect to many mobiles, to one where a mobile connects to a large number of infrastructure nodes. The research will be disseminated broadly to researchers, practitioners and policy makers, leveraging in particular, a strong industry focused research center, as well as in efforts reaching out to public high school students, parents and teachers.