TelecomPub Date : 2024-06-03DOI: 10.3390/telecom5020022
Ruben Xavier, Rogério S. Silva, Maria Ribeiro, Waldir Moreira, Leandro Freitas, Antonio Oliveira-Jr
{"title":"Integrating Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) into Open 5G Core","authors":"Ruben Xavier, Rogério S. Silva, Maria Ribeiro, Waldir Moreira, Leandro Freitas, Antonio Oliveira-Jr","doi":"10.3390/telecom5020022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom5020022","url":null,"abstract":"Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) represents the central concept that enables the creation of new applications and services that bring the benefits of edge computing to networks and users. By implementing applications and services at the edge, close to users and their devices, it becomes possible to take advantage of extremely low latency, substantial bandwidth, and optimized resource usage. However, enabling this approach requires careful integration between the MEC framework and the open 5G core. This work is dedicated to designing a new service that extends the functionality of the Multi-Access Traffic Steering (MTS) API, acting as a strategic bridge between the realms of MEC and the 5G core. To accomplish this objective, we utilize free5GC (open-source project for 5G core) as our 5G core, deployed on the Kubernetes cluster. The proposed service is validated using this framework, involving scenarios of high user density. To conclude whether the discussed solution is valid, KPIs of 5G MEC applications described in the scientific community were sought to use as a comparison parameter. The results indicate that the service effectively addresses the described issues while demonstrating its feasibility in various use cases such as e-Health, Paramedic Support, Smart Home, and Smart Farms.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"30 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141271560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2024-03-19DOI: 10.3390/telecom5010013
Paul Ushiki Adamu, M. López-Benítez
{"title":"Analysis of Carrier Aggregation as a Diversity Technique for Improved Spectral Efficiency and Secrecy Performance in Mobile Communications","authors":"Paul Ushiki Adamu, M. López-Benítez","doi":"10.3390/telecom5010013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom5010013","url":null,"abstract":"Carrier aggregation (CA) was introduced in mobile communication systems in response to the demand for higher network capacity. CA was conceived as a technique to achieve higher data rates by aggregating multiple blocks of spectrum from the same or different frequency bands. This work explores a different point of view, where CA is employed not as a way to increase capacity through using more bandwidth, but as a diversity technique in order to increase the spectral efficiency of the existing spectrum, and therefore, achieve higher capacity without needing additional spectrum. A mathematical model and set of closed-form expressions are provided, which can be used to characterise the performance of CA as a diversity technique (in terms of both ergodic capacity and secrecy capacity) and determine the impact of various relevant configuration parameters. The numerical results obtained by evaluating the mathematical expressions derived in this work are in line with our previous simulation studies and demonstrate that CA can be effectively exploited as a diversity technique to improve the capacity and performance of mobile communication systems compared to the case of single-carrier transmission over the same amount of bandwidth.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140229526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2024-03-06DOI: 10.3390/telecom5010011
Yunlong Shao, T. Gulliver
{"title":"Transceiver Optimization for Multiuser Multiple-Input Multiple-Output Full-Duplex Amplify-and-Forward Relay Downlink Communications","authors":"Yunlong Shao, T. Gulliver","doi":"10.3390/telecom5010011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom5010011","url":null,"abstract":"This paper considers the transceiver design in a multiuser multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) full-duplex (FD) amplify-and-forward (AF) relay downlink communication system, where users simultaneously transmit data via an FD relay node. The design incorporates an imperfect loop interference (LI) cancellation which results in a residual LI. Linear precoders are employed at the sources and relay, and minimum mean-squared-error (MMSE) combiners are employed at the destinations to mitigate the effect of the residual LI. The corresponding design problem is highly nonconvex, so a closed-form solution is intractable. Thus, an iterative method is developed to solve this optimization problem. Simulation results are presented which show that the proposed iterative algorithm provides better performance than the corresponding half-duplex (HD) solution in terms of the achievable rate under residual LI.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"29 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140262674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2024-02-29DOI: 10.3390/telecom5010010
M. Naser, Munstafa Ismael Salman, M. Alsabah
{"title":"Maximizing the Downlink Data Rates in Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output with Frequency Division Duplex Transmission Mode Using Power Allocation Optimization Method with Limited Coherence Time","authors":"M. Naser, Munstafa Ismael Salman, M. Alsabah","doi":"10.3390/telecom5010010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom5010010","url":null,"abstract":"The expected development of the future generation of wireless communications systems such as 6G aims to achieve an ultrareliable and low-latency communications (URLLCs) while maximizing the data rates. These requirements push research into developing new advanced technologies. To this end, massive multiple input multiple output (MMIMO) is introduced as a promising transmission approach to fulfill these requirements. However, maximizing the downlink-achievable sum rate (DASR) in MMIMO with a frequency division duplex (FDD) transmission mode and limited coherence time (LCT) is very challenging. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a DASR maximization approach using a feasible power allocation optimization method. The proposed approach is based on smartly allocating the total transmit power between the data transmission and training sequence transmission for channel estimation. This can be achieved by allocating more energy to the training signal than the data transmission during the channel estimation process to improve the quality of channel estimation without compromising more training sequence length, thus maximizing the DASR. Additionally, the theory of random matrix approach is exploited to derive an asymptotic closed-form expression for the DASR with a regularized zero-forcing precoder (RZFP), which allows the power optimization process to be achieved without the need for computationally complex Monte Carlo simulations. The results provided in this paper indicate that a considerable enhancement in the DASR performance is achieved using the proposed power allocation method in comparison with the conventional uniform power allocation method.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"17 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140413060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2024-01-26DOI: 10.3390/telecom5010006
Georgios P. Koudouridis, Serveh Shalmashi, Reza Moosavi
{"title":"An Evaluation Survey of Knowledge-Based Approaches in Telecommunication Applications","authors":"Georgios P. Koudouridis, Serveh Shalmashi, Reza Moosavi","doi":"10.3390/telecom5010006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom5010006","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this survey study is to shed light on the importance of knowledge usage and knowledge-driven applications in telecommunication systems and businesses. To this end, we first define a classification of the different knowledge-based approaches in terms of knowledge representations and reasoning formalisms. Further, we define a set of qualitative criteria and evaluate the different categories for their suitability and usefulness in telecommunications. From the evaluation results, we could conclude that different use cases are better served by different knowledge-based approaches. Further, we elaborate and showcase our findings on three different knowledge-based approaches and their applicability to three operational aspects of telecommunication networks. More specifically, we study the utilization of large language models in network operation and management, the automation of the network based on knowledge-graphs and intent-based networking, and the optimization of the network based on machine learning-based distributed intelligence. The article concludes with challenges, limitations, and future steps toward knowledge-driven telecommunications.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"46 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140492980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2023-12-25DOI: 10.3390/telecom5010002
Noha Hassan, Xavier Fernando, Isaac Woungang
{"title":"An Emergency Message Routing Protocol for Improved Congestion Management in Hybrid RF/VLC VANETs","authors":"Noha Hassan, Xavier Fernando, Isaac Woungang","doi":"10.3390/telecom5010002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom5010002","url":null,"abstract":"Unexpected traffic incidents cause safety concerns and intense traffic congestion on crowded urban road networks. Vehicular ad-hoc network (VANET)-aided Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) aim to mitigate these risks through timely dissemination of alert messages. However, conventional Radio frequency (RF) mobile ad-hoc routing protocols are ill-suited for dynamic VANET environments due to high mutual interference, packet collisions, high end-to-end delay from frequent route discoveries, and periodic beaconing requirements. Fortunately, the quickly emerging Visible Light Communications (VLC) provide complementary short-range connectivity with high bandwidth and low interference. This paper proposes an efficient adaptive routing protocol for emergency messages in dense VANET scenarios leveraging a hybrid RF/VLC system. When an incident or congestion happens, the source vehicle disseminates the information to the incoming vehicles as quickly as possible using a combination of VLC and RF communication networks. Multi-hop relays extend the connectivity if the direct links are blocked. The coverage area is partitioned into zones based on road segments, intersections, and traffic flows. The Road Side Units (RSU)s are intelligently assigned to zones and they analyze the historical traffic data to characterize each zone and decide a response strategy. We also propose a congestion detection scheme that utilizes traffic simulations to forecast the clearance times under different response strategies. The highest-scoring strategy is selected based on the predicted impacts on travel time, emissions, and driver stress levels. The proposed algorithm adaptively uses the selected strategy to proactively alleviate the predicted congestion through optimized routing and control. Overall, the protocol maximizes safety and efficiency during emergencies by leveraging the hybrid RF/VLC, incorporating real-time congestion forecasting and dynamic rerouting into the response strategies.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"11 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139157831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2023-11-20DOI: 10.3390/telecom4040036
Abhaykumar Kumbhar
{"title":"Performance Improvement Using ICIC for UAV-Assisted Public Safety Networks with Clustered Users during Emergency","authors":"Abhaykumar Kumbhar","doi":"10.3390/telecom4040036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom4040036","url":null,"abstract":"The application of drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles deployed as unmanned aerial base stations (UABSs), has received extensive interest for public safety communications (PSC) to fill the coverage gaps and establish ubiquitous connectivity. In this article, we design a PSC LTE-Advanced air–ground-based HetNet (AG-HetNet) that is a scenario representation of a geographical area during and after a disaster. As part of the AG-HetNet infrastructure, we have UABSs and ground user equipment (GUE) flocking together in clusters at safe places or evacuation shelters. AG-HetNet uses cell range expansion (CRE), intercell interference coordination (ICIC), and 3D beamforming techniques to ensure ubiquitous connectivity. Through system-level simulations and using a brute-force technique, we evaluate the performance of the AG-HetNet in terms of fifth-percentile spectral efficiency (5pSE) and coverage probability. We compare system-wide 5pSE and coverage probability when UABSs are deployed on a hexagonal grid and for different clustering distributions of GUEs. The results show that reduced power subframes (FeICIC) defined in 3GPP Release-11 can provide practical gains in 5pSE and coverage probability than the 3GPP Release-10 with almost blank subframes (eICIC).","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139255617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2023-09-01DOI: 10.3390/telecom4030027
Husam Rajab, Baolin Ren, Tibor Cinkler
{"title":"A Novel Approach to Enhance the Energy Efficiency of a NOMA Network","authors":"Husam Rajab, Baolin Ren, Tibor Cinkler","doi":"10.3390/telecom4030027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom4030027","url":null,"abstract":"Spectral efficiency is crucial for implementing 5G cellular networks and beyond. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is a promising scheme to enhance efficiency. This paper introduces two improvements that will further enhance the channel capacity using the NOMA algorithm. We first introduce a novel algorithm, the User Sub-Channel Fair Matching Algorithm (USFMA), by applying a new sub-channel sorting and compensations scheme and then benefiting from the well-known Hungarian algorithm to allocate users to each sub-channel in a way that guarantees an optimum overall system performance. Then, for per sub-channel power allocation, we convert the non-convex objective function into a convex sub-problem using the concave–convex procedure (CCP) by converting the objective function into convex sub-problems and using the successive convex approximation to solve the convex sub-problems to find effective sub-optimal solutions. We have built a MATLAB simulation cellular environment to evaluate and compare the system performance with other known schemes. The results are promising and showed significant improvements compared to the other capacity and energy efficiency schemes.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134097425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2023-08-16DOI: 10.3390/telecom4030026
S. Tsakalidis, G. Tsoulos, Dimitrios E. Kontaxis, G. Athanasiadou
{"title":"Design and Implementation of a Versatile OpenHAB IoT Testbed with a Variety of Wireless Interfaces and Sensors","authors":"S. Tsakalidis, G. Tsoulos, Dimitrios E. Kontaxis, G. Athanasiadou","doi":"10.3390/telecom4030026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom4030026","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents the design and implementation of a versatile IoT testbed utilizing the openHAB platform, along with various wireless interfaces, including Z-Wave, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, 4G-LTE (Long-Term Evolution), and IR (Infrared Radiation), and an array of sensors for motion, temperature, luminance, humidity, vibration, UV (ultraviolet), and energy consumption. First, the testbed architecture, setup, basic testing, and collected data results are described. Then, by showcasing a typical day in the laboratory, we illustrate the testbed’s potential through the collection and analysis of data from multiple sensors. The study also explores the capabilities of the openHAB platform, including its robust persistence layer, event management, real-time monitoring, and customization. The significance of the testbed in enhancing data collection methodologies for energy assets and unlocking new possibilities in the realm of IoT technologies is particularly highlighted.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128891982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TelecomPub Date : 2023-08-02DOI: 10.3390/telecom4030025
Patikiri Arachchige Don Shehan Nilmantha Wijesekara, Subodha Gunawardena
{"title":"A Comprehensive Survey on Knowledge-Defined Networking","authors":"Patikiri Arachchige Don Shehan Nilmantha Wijesekara, Subodha Gunawardena","doi":"10.3390/telecom4030025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom4030025","url":null,"abstract":"Traditional networking is hardware-based, having the control plane coupled with the data plane. Software-Defined Networking (SDN), which has a logically centralized control plane, has been introduced to increase the programmability and flexibility of networks. Knowledge-Defined Networking (KDN) is an advanced version of SDN that takes one step forward by decoupling the management plane from control logic and introducing a new plane, called a knowledge plane, decoupled from control logic for generating knowledge based on data collected from the network. KDN is the next-generation architecture for self-learning, self-organizing, and self-evolving networks with high automation and intelligence. Even though KDN was introduced about two decades ago, it had not gained much attention among researchers until recently. The reasons for delayed recognition could be due to the technology gap and difficulty in direct transformation from traditional networks to KDN. Communication networks around the globe have already begun to transform from SDNs into KDNs. Machine learning models are typically used to generate knowledge using the data collected from network devices and sensors, where the generated knowledge may be further composed to create knowledge ontologies that can be used in generating rules, where rules and/or knowledge can be provided to the control, management, and application planes for use in decision-making processes, for network monitoring and configuration, and for dynamic adjustment of network policies, respectively. Among the numerous advantages that KDN brings compared to SDN, enhanced automation and intelligence, higher flexibility, and improved security stand tall. However, KDN also has a set of challenges, such as reliance on large quantities of high-quality data, difficulty in integration with legacy networks, the high cost of upgrading to KDN, etc. In this survey, we first present an overview of the KDN architecture and then discuss each plane of the KDN in detail, such as sub-planes and interfaces, functions of each plane, existing standards and protocols, different models of the planes, etc., with respect to examples from the existing literature. Existing works are qualitatively reviewed and assessed by grouping them into categories and assessing the individual performance of the literature where possible. We further compare and contrast traditional networks and SDN against KDN. Finally, we discuss the benefits, challenges, design guidelines, and ongoing research of KDNs. Design guidelines and recommendations are provided so that identified challenges can be mitigated. Therefore, this survey is a comprehensive review of architecture, operation, applications, and existing works of knowledge-defined networks.","PeriodicalId":301561,"journal":{"name":"Telecom","volume":"23 8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128103514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}