SBIR Phase II (COVID-19): Improved 5G Network Performance and Demand Prediction in a Virtually Connected World

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将是确保可访问、可靠、高速的互联网。运营商每年花费3500亿美元用于网络升级，但估计只有75%的升级是有效的。该项目将通过提供有关网络需求的超本地信息以及预测未来需求，帮助提高升级效率。这既可以应用于当前网络的升级，也可以应用于未来5G网络的部署，还可以通过调整资源与需求来提高能源效率。在2019冠状病毒病大流行和相关的社交距离期间，这项技术将使教育、应急响应、政府工作和企业活动等领域的运作得以持续和改进。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目将为4G和5G移动网络的高效长期规划开发一个新的预测平台。该项目将开发一个平台，可以根据关键性能指标和外部上下文数据准确预测网络使用和行为。该平台将提供有关微尺度网络需求的准确数据，按单个小区站点和频段进行本地化；这将实现更好的容量优化（即，何时、何地、多少）。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will be to ensure accessible, reliable, high-speed internet. Operators spend $350 B annually on network upgrades, but only an estimated 75% of this is effective. This project will help improve the efficiency of upgrades by providing hyper-local information about network demand as well as forecasting future needs. This can be applied both to upgrading current networks and deployment of future 5G networks, and it improves energy efficiency by aligning resources with needs. This technology will enable ongoing and improved operation in fields ranging from education, emergency responders, government work, and corporate activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated social distancing. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a novel prediction platform for efficient long-term planning of 4G and 5G mobile networks. This project will develop a platform that can accurately forecast network usage and behavior based on key performance indicators and external contextual data. The platform will provide accurate data regarding network demand at the micro-scale, localized by individual cell sites and frequency bands; this will enable better capacity optimization (i.e., when, where, how much).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.