Technology to improve data transfer in 5G networks
Technology developed by a North Carolina State University (NC State) researcher aims to allow cellular communication nodes in 5G systems to partition bandwidth more efficiently. This will help improve end-to-end data transmission rates, and simulations have suggested the tech is capable of meeting the international goal of 10 gigabits per second in peak performance areas.
"End-to-end transfer means that the technology accounts for all of the connections between a data source and the end user," explained Shih-Chun Lin, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State, and author of a research paper.
"My technology, incorporating both hardware and software, is a framework that takes into account data transfer rates, wired and wireless bandwidth availability, and the power of base stations — or eNodeBs — in a 5G network," Lin said. "It then uses stochastic optimisation modelling to determine the most efficient means of transferring and retrieving data — and it does this very quickly, without using a lot of computing power."
It looks at end-to-end network slicing from a perspective of wireless software-defined networking architectures, stated the study abstract. It explained that the technology jointly optimises all communication functionalities in both radio access and core networks to ensure maximum data throughput and a congestion-free system.
According to Lin, simulation testing of the framework is promising and his research team are in the process of building a fully functional prototype. Since full-scale 5G networks are not yet online, he said the prototype will allow them to conduct tests on a 5G testbed platform.
"But simulation results suggest that we'll be able to meet the 3GPP goal of 10 gigabits per second data transfer in peak coverage areas.
"We are currently seeking industry partners to work with us on developing, testing and deploying the framework to better characterise its performance prior to widespread adoption of 5G networks," Lin said.
The research paper, 'End-to-End Network Slicing for 5G&B Wireless Software-Defined Systems', will be presented at IEEE GLOBECOM'18.
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