Cognitive cloud communications networks: Theory and practical approaches

云通信是建立在无细胞结构上的无线网络的新范例。其主要思想是，少量的中央处理单元执行物理层、数据链路层、网络层、传输层和应用层的计算密集型操作。云结构有效地将诸如基站、用户设备和其他设备的剩余网络节点转换为通过协作来相互支持的中继，而完整的信息处理解码（上行链路）和编码（下行链路）在云中执行。因此，无蜂窝云架构通过外包信号和网络处理，以低成本实现高效、可靠和安全的通信，并且性能（可靠性、延迟和其他目标）不像当前蜂窝标准（例如5G）那样受到小区间干扰的限制。云设置包括流行的架构，例如云无线电接入网络（C-RAN）、雾无线电接入网络（F-RAN）和开放无线电接入网络（O-RAN）的变体。该项目的目标是为认知云通信网络提供良好的信息和通信理论基础，以期实现未来（6 G及以后）的无线通信。除了理论，该项目的一个核心要素是开发有前途的实用算法，其性能接近理论极限。理论和算法的结合是该项目四个主要目标的一部分：a）无细胞云网络结构; B）云网络和学习; c）云网络的极性编码; d）侧重于前传链路的量子通信。

Cloud communications is a new paradigm for wireless networks that builds on a cell-free structure. The main idea is that a small number of central processing units perform the computation-intensive operations for the physical, data link, network, transport and application layers. The cloud structure effectively converts the remaining network nodes such as base stations, user equipments, and other devices into relays that support each other through cooperation, while the full information processing decoding (uplink) and encoding (downlink) is performed in the cloud. The cell-free cloud architecture thus enables efficient, reliable and secure communications at low cost by outsourcing signal and network processing, and the performance (reliability, delay, and other objectives) is not limited by inter-cell interference as in current cellular standards such as 5G. The cloud setting includes popular architectures such Cloud Radio Access Networks (C-RAN), Fog Radio Access Networks (F-RAN) and variants of Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN). The goals of this project are to provide a sound information- and communications-theoretic foundation for cognitive cloud communications networks, with a view towards future (6G and beyond) wireless communications. Beyond theory, a central element of the project is to develop promising practical algorithms of which the performance approaches the theoretical limits. The combination of theory and algorithms is part of each of the four main objectives of this project: a) cell-free cloud network structures; b) cloud networks and learning; c) polar coding for cloud networks, and d) quantum communications with a focus on fronthaul links.