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

下一代蜂窝无线通信网络将需要支持不断增加的用户数量，以及各种多媒体丰富应用的数据速率的显著提高。这将需要在设计和实施此类网络的方式上进行一场革命。具体地说，应对不断增长的用户数量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小区、中继器和无线电头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。网元将使用不同的无线电接入技术，并在许可和/或非许可频段中运行。这样，蜂窝网络将演变为连接大量智能无线电设备的大规模、高度复杂的异质系统。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运营将是实现可扩展性、稳定性、健壮性和敏捷性的关键。在自组织的情况下，需要来自外部实体的最低限度的控制和人工干预，因此，网络运营商将产生较低的运营支出。利用结合了不同类型的网元、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体系结构，用于传统/传统蜂窝网络的所有网络功能和优化技术(例如，用于干扰管理、功率控制、接纳控制、信道分配)需要重新访问并适应新的网络拓扑。特别是，需要开发可扩展和健壮的分布式算法，以实现频谱效率、功率效率和吞吐量方面的最佳网络运行。这项研究的短期目标是设计、评估和优化先进的分布式和稳健的资源分配技术、流量卸载和负载平衡、自组织的认知和协作方法、节能技术以及经济激励机制，使下一代分布式和自组织无线网络具有实用和商业可行性。这项研究的长期目标是在下一代及以后为分布式和自组织无线网络技术的进步做出贡献。除了在蜂窝无线网络建模、分析和优化方面的新理论贡献外，拟议研究产生的技术还有可能对第五代(5G)蜂窝网络新兴技术标准的演变产生重大影响。拟议的研究结果还将直接为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，并结合广泛的数值分析和计算机模拟。这项研究将培养一批高素质的人员，以满足加拿大日益增长的信息和通信技术行业的需求。拟议研究的重要性源于：(I)对低成本无处不在的无线宽带服务的需求日益增长，(Ii)需要培养专业知识和熟练的毕业生，以将相关技术转移到加拿大的电信/IT行业，以获得我们的经济优势，以及(Iii)提高加拿大作为无线/移动网络研究的世界领先者的地位。

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.