Distributed and Self-organizing Heterogeneous Wireless Access Networks: Design, Analysis, and Optimization

下一代蜂窝无线通信网络将被要求支持不断增加的用户群数量，沿着各种多媒体丰富应用的数据速率的显著增加。这将需要在设计和实施此类网络的方式上进行革命。特别地，科普不断增加的用户群体和业务需求的两个关键解决方案如下：i）例如通过不同类型的小型小区、中继器和无线电头端来大规模部署业务热点，以及（ii）例如通过设备到设备通信来实现位于相同附近的设备之间的直接连接。网络元件将使用不同的无线电接入技术并且在许可和/或未许可频带中操作。通过这种方式，蜂窝网络将演变成大规模和高度复杂的异构系统，互连大量的智能无线电设备。随着新网络元素和功能的大规模部署，分布式和自组织网络操作对于实现可扩展性、稳定性、鲁棒性和敏捷性至关重要。由于自组织，将需要最少的外部实体控制和人工干预，因此，网络运营商的运营支出将很低。利用结合了不同类型的网络元件、多个网络层和无线电接入技术的分布式和自组织蜂窝网络架构，所有网络功能和优化技术（例如，用于干扰管理、功率控制、准入控制、信道分配）需要被重新访问并适应于新的网络拓扑。特别是，可扩展的和强大的分布式算法将需要开发，以实现最佳的网络操作的频谱效率，功率效率和吞吐量。本研究的短期目标是设计，评估和优化先进的分布式和强大的资源分配，流量卸载和负载平衡，认知和合作的方法，自组织，节能技术和经济激励机制，使下一代分布式和自组织无线网络的实用和商业可行的方法。这项研究的长期目标是通过下一代及以后的分布式和自组织无线网络技术的进步作出贡献。除了对蜂窝无线网络的建模、分析和优化做出新的理论贡献外，拟议研究所产生的技术有可能对第五代（5G）蜂窝网络新兴技术标准的发展产生重大影响。拟议研究的结果还将直接向加拿大工业提供潜在的商业和技术转让。科学方法将基于合理的研究原则，包括文献调查和分析建模，结合广泛的数值分析和计算机模拟。这项研究将培养一些高素质的人才，以满足加拿大日益增长的信息和通信技术行业的需求。拟议的研究的重要性源于：（一）不断增长的需求，低成本无处不在的无线宽带服务，（二）需要生产的专业知识和熟练的毕业生转移到加拿大电信/IT行业的相关技术，为我们的经济优势，及（iii）的目标，以提高加拿大的地位，作为世界领先的无线/移动的网络研究。

The forthcoming generations of cellular wireless communications networks will be required to support the ever-increasing number of user populations along with significant increases in data rates for various multimedia-rich applications. This will require a revolution in the way such networks are designed and implemented. In particular, two key solutions to cope with the ever-increasing user population and traffic demand are as follows: i) massive deployment of traffic hotspots, for example, through different types of small cells, relays, and radio heads, and (ii) enabling direct connectivity between devices located in the same vicinity, for example, through device-to-device communications. The network elements will use different radio access technologies and operate in licensed and/or unlicensed bands. In this way, the cellular networks will evolve to large-scale and highly complex heterogeneous systems interconnecting a massive number of intelligent radio devices. With a large-scale deployment of new network elements and functionalities, a distributed and self-organizing network operation will be essential to achieve scalability, stability, robustness, and agility. With self-organization, minimum control from an external entity and manual intervention will be required, and hence, the network operators will incur low operation expenditure. With a distributed and self-organizing cellular network architecture incorporating different types of network elements, multiple network tiers and radio access technologies, all the network functionalities and optimization techniques (e.g., for interference management, power control, admission control, channel allocation) used for the legacy/traditional cellular networks need to be revisited and adapted to the new network topology. In particular, scalable and robust distributed algorithms will need to be developed to achieve optimal network operation in terms of the spectral efficiency, power efficiency, and throughput. The short-term objective of this research is to design, evaluate, and optimize advanced techniques for distributed and robust resource allocation, traffic offloading and load balancing, cognitive and cooperative methods for self-organization, energy-efficient techniques, and economic incentive mechanisms that make future generation distributed and self-organizing wireless networks practical and commercially viable. The long-term objective of this research is to contribute to the advancement of distributed and self-organizing wireless networks technologies through the next generation and beyond. In addition to novel theoretical contributions on modeling, analysis and optimization of cellular wireless networks, the technologies resulting from the proposed research have the potential of making significant impact on the evolution of emerging technical standards for fifth generation (5G) cellular networks. The outcome of the proposed research will also provide potential commercial and technology transfer directly to the Canadian industry. The scientific approach will be based on sound research principles involving literature survey and analytical modeling combined with extensive numerical analysis and computer simulations. The research will prepare a number of highly qualified personnel to serve the needs of the growing information and communications technologies industry in Canada. The importance of the proposed research stems from: (i) the growing demand for low-cost ubiquitous wireless broadband services, (ii) the need to produce the expertise and the skilled graduates to transfer the relevant technologies to the Canadian telecom/IT industry for our economic advantage, and (iii) the goal to enhance Canada's position as a world leader in wireless/mobile networking research.