Wireless Fronthauling Technologies for Future Generation Wireless Networks

下一代无线网络的无线前传技术

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-06639
• 负责人: Cheng, Julian
• 金额: $ 3.42万
• 依托单位: University of British Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=637328
• 关键词: Wireless; Fronthauling; Technologies; Future; Generation

Cisco Systems predicts that mobile data traffic will exceed 30 exabytes per month by 2020. To address the skyrocketing mobile data volume, research activities in wireless network architecture have indicated two trends. The first trend is to densify the access points by massive deployment of lower-power and low-cost access points. The second trend is to separate network functionalities by shifting the computational power of a traditional base station to a base band unit (BBU) pool with centralized computing power. As a result, the cloud radio access network (C-RAN) has emerged as suitable network architecture for future generation wireless networks. In C-RAN, signal processing is centralized in the BBU pool and radio frequency processing is handled by remote radio heads (RRHs), which are low-power and low-cost access points connecting to the mobile users. In C-RAN, the links that connect the RRHs to BBU pool are called fronthaul links. Fronthauling is defined as the transportation of large user data volume from RRHs to the BBU pool. The current technology implements the fronthaul links via wired line such as optical fibers and high-speed IP backbone. However, connecting massive number of RRHs to the BBU pool via dedicated wirelines is economically infeasible and lacks the required deployment flexibility that the carrier operators desire. Therefore, fronthauling is particularly challenging for a C-RAN and has been identified as a bottleneck problem for future wireless networks. This proposal addresses various wireless fronthauling technologies for C-RAN, and these technologies include the millimeter wave based beamforming, free-space optical communications, unlicensed spectrum band transmission and caching. For each of these wireless fronthauling technology, we identify key challenging issues and propose potential solutions. We anticipate that the proposed novel fronthauling technologies can facilitate the introduction of new data-centric real-time mobile applications, which will take more than 80% of the total network traffic in 2020. The proposed vertical fronthauling configuration will lead to several new research directions. This architecture can provide high data rate and cost effective coverage for the rural areas, where about 19% of the Canadian residents live. This study can also give birth to a new research direction for defense applications. After some modifications, the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are equipped with BBU pool can be used in a battlefield scenario when the satellite based communication is disabled. The success of the proposed research program can give birth to a new industry sector such as manufacturing of specialized UAVs equipped with sophisticated computing and communication devices, and can have the potential to revive the Canadian telecommunication industry in the new era.

思科系统公司预测，到2020年，移动的数据流量将超过每月30艾字节。为了解决暴涨的移动的数据量，无线网络架构中的研究活动已经表明了两个趋势。第一个趋势是通过大规模部署低功耗和低成本接入点来增加接入点的密度。第二个趋势是通过将传统基站的计算能力转移到具有集中计算能力的基带单元（BBU）池来分离网络功能。因此，云无线电接入网络（C-RAN）已经成为下一代无线网络的合适的网络架构。在C-RAN中，信号处理集中在BBU池中，射频处理由远程无线电头端（RRH）处理，RRH是连接到移动的用户的低功率和低成本接入点。在C-RAN中，将RRH连接到BBU池的链路称为前传链路。前传被定义为将大量用户数据从RRH传输到BBU池。当前技术通过有线线路（诸如光纤和高速IP骨干）实现前传链路。然而，通过专用有线线路将大量RRH连接到BBU池在经济上是不可行的，并且缺乏运营商期望的所需部署灵活性。因此，前传对于C-RAN来说特别具有挑战性，并且已经被识别为未来无线网络的瓶颈问题。该提案解决了C-RAN的各种无线前传技术，这些技术包括基于毫米波的波束成形、自由空间光通信、未授权频带传输和缓存。对于每种无线前传技术，我们都会确定关键的挑战性问题并提出潜在的解决方案。我们预计，拟议的新型前传技术可以促进新的以数据为中心的实时移动的应用程序的引入，这些应用程序将在2020年占据总网络流量的80%以上。本文所提出的垂直正航布局将为未来的研究带来新的方向。这种架构可以为农村地区提供高数据速率和成本效益的覆盖，约有19%的加拿大居民居住在农村地区。这项研究也可以为国防应用催生一个新的研究方向。经过一些修改后，配备有BBU池的无人机（UAV）可以在基于卫星的通信被禁用时用于战场场景。拟议研究计划的成功可以催生一个新的产业部门，例如制造配备先进计算和通信设备的专用无人机，并有可能在新时代重振加拿大电信业。