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: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=689616
• 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，移动数据流量将超过每月30艾字节。为了应对飞速增长的移动数据量，无线网络体系结构的研究活动表明了两个趋势。第一个趋势是通过大规模部署低功耗和低成本的接入点来增加接入点的密度。第二种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，云无线接入网络(C-RAN)已经成为适合下一代无线网络的网络体系结构。在C-RAN中，信号处理集中在BBU池中，射频处理由远程无线头部(RRH)处理，远程无线头部(RRH)是连接到移动用户的低功率、低成本接入点。在C-RAN中，将RRH连接到BBU池的链路称为前端链路。Fronthauling定义为将大量用户数据量从RRH传输到BBU池。目前的技术是通过光纤、高速IP骨干网等有线线路实现前端链路。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，并且缺乏运营商所需的部署灵活性。因此，正面布线对于C-RAN来说尤其具有挑战性，并且已被确定为未来无线网络的瓶颈问题。该方案解决了C-RAN的各种无线前沿技术，这些技术包括基于毫米波的波束形成、自由空间光通信、无许可频段传输和缓存。对于每一种无线前沿技术，我们都确定了关键的挑战性问题，并提出了潜在的解决方案。我们预计，拟议的新前沿技术可以促进新的以数据为中心的实时移动应用的引入，到2020年，这将占总网络流量的80%以上。所提出的垂直前缘布局将导致几个新的研究方向。该架构可以为约19%的加拿大居民居住的农村地区提供高数据速率和经济高效的覆盖。这一研究也为国防应用提供了一个新的研究方向。经过一些改进，配备了BBU池的无人机可以在基于卫星的通信被禁用的情况下用于战场场景。拟议研究计划的成功可能会催生一个新的行业，如制造配备复杂计算和通信设备的专业无人机，并可能在新时代重振加拿大电信业。