Millimeter Waves, Millisecond Delays

Abstract

Two simultaneous revolutionary changes are occurring in networking: the advent of mmWave networks and the advent of applications that require end-to-end delays of the order of a few milliseconds. mmWave is the first physical layer technology that promises huge wireless bandwidth, but with very poor reliability as a result of its vulnerability to blockage (optical fiber offers high reliability and high bandwidth; sub-6Ghz microwave networks offer lower bandwidth but graceful bandwidth degradation that can be mitigated). The emergence of the need for ultra-low delays for haptic communications and control loops in self-driving cars and other sensor-based applications, has radically changed the requirements for layers above the physical layer. These two changes transform standard networking problems and will lead to a new wave of research. Examples will be used to illustrate this paradigm shift.