TECHNICAL APPROACH

The chapter of 4G (4th Generation) of mobile systems is finally coming to an end, with waves of 4G systems deployed over Europe and worldwide. 4G systems provide a universal platform for broadband mobile services at any time, any place and anywhere. However, mobile traffic is still growing at an unprecedented rate and the need for more sophisticated broadband services is still further pushing the limits on current standards to provide even tighter integration between wireless technologies and higher speeds. The increase in number of mobile devices and traffic, the change in the nature of service and device, along with the pressure on operation and capital costs, and energy efficiency are all continuously putting stringent limits on the requirement of the design of mobile networks. Moreover, energy efficiency is now at the forefront of the socio-economic agenda, creating emerging market drivers towards energy compliant handsets and networking devices. It is widely accepted that incremental enhancements of current networking paradigm will not achieve or come close to meeting the requirements of networking by 2020. This has led to the need for a new generation of mobile communications: the so-called 5G. The interests of stakeholders and academic researchers are now focused on 5G paradigm. Although 5G systems are not expected to penetrate the market till 2020, the evolution towards 5G is widely accepted to be the convergence of internet services with existing mobile networking standards leading to the commonly used term “mobile internet” over heterogeneous networks (HetNets), with very high connectivity speeds.

This proposal builds on current technology trends, widely accepted to form part of 5G, by aiming to a new deployment of small cells based on the notion of mobile small cells. The proposal then goes beyond the current vision of 5G small cell through disruptive new “femtocell” like paradigms where end-users play the role of prosumers of wireless connectivity, to which we refer to as “Mobile Small Cells”. Another dimension of innovation of SECRET training program is the provision of wireless fronthaul to provide high-speed reduced-cost energy-efficient connectivity to mobile small cells.

WORKPACKAGES

WP2: Network-Coded Cooperation for Mobile Small Cells and Coexistence, foresees the analysis, design and optimization of network coded cooperative (NCC) networks to deliver disruptive radio networking topologies to emulate mobile small cells to provide femtocell-like services on the move. To promote the take-up of this technology, the WP also examines how these cells can coexist in a HetNet environment which is deemed pivotal to the evolution of 5G; these small cells are not only LTE based, but is technology agnostic to adopt 5G technology once standardised and additionally could encompass WiFi hotpots among others.

WP3: Secure Network Coding for Trustworthy Mobile Small Cells, where network coding security of next generation small cells, incorporating a “Network Coding overlay”, will be studied. Despite the tremendous advantages of network coding, in terms of bandwidth, energy consumption, and robustness to packet losses, a wide spectrum of security attacks should be addressed if network coding is to reach its full potential in real-world communication systems.This WP targets the design and implementation of efficient secure network coding mechanisms and schemes to mitigate such attacks in the envisioned network-coding enabled mobile small cell network. .

WP4: Green RF for 5G Handsets, addresses energy efficient multi-mode RF front-end for next generation handsets. The WP addresses the design, simulation and implementation of low cost energy-efficient RF front-end transceiver modules including energy efficient PAs, multimode RF filtering, and reconfigurable antennae.

WP5: Enabling Mobile Small Cells and network virtualization, addresses the proof-of-concept for mobile small cell technology, which includes not only a feasibility study, but is complemented by a concrete study on how small cell technology could be the springboard for network sharing in the form of network virtualization. This WP will build a small cell test-bed supporting different types of data with emphasis on real-time video which is the most demanding dominating use-case in 5G system, and will act as a vehicle for promoting collaborative ESR research projects, since key algorithms in WP2-3 can be tested and optimised here.

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