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EWOC - Enabling Virtualized Wireless and Optical Coexistence for 5G and Beyond

Lead Research Organisation: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES
Department Name: Faculty of Computing, Eng. and Science

Abstract

EWOC project aims at developing a novel converged optical wireless network solution relying on a flexible, virtualizable infrastructure, required for full resource optimisation beyond 5G (B5G) requirements. Fundamental innovation will be sought through merging of the enabling concepts of optical layer virtualization, high frequency mm-wave transmission, multiple antenna technology,cell densification, terra-over-fiber (ToF) based femtocell connectivity and cloud radio access network (C- RAN) architecture.
EWOC will aim at high capacity, low latency communications (40-90 GHz frequency), providing the basis for a 50-fold improvement over the 5G baseline. This necessitates development of novel, femto-cell technology, and seamless coexistence with first round legacy deployment. Such scenario also requires novel channel models and simulation methodologies to attain the desired trade-off between
coverage, throughput and densification limits. EWOC will rely on fiber-optic deployment towards ToF connectivity, as an "added on feature" for the C-RAN architecture supporting resource management of versatile services with varying demands. Scenario compliant optical fronthaul virtualisation techniques, designed to provide cost effective beyond state-of-the-art resource optimisation, will be
pursued through novel optical transceiver schemes and software defined network-based digital signal processing techniques.
Research and training disciplines will serve as building blocks towards the scientific and socio-economic goals of increased capacity, coverage, flexibility, spectral efficiency, cost effectiveness, vendor agnosticism, and upgradability.
EWOC provides a framework for promotion of such interdisciplinary innovation, with strong interoperability of models and methodologies from different disciplines. As such, EWOC training network is designed to foster opportunities for scientific and professional growth of ESRs from both topical and interdisciplinary.
 
Description Next generation mobile systems will be based on 6G technology, that aims to provide higher speed broadband services within the range up to Terabits connectivity data rates. This will be enabled through exploiting very small cell sizes, multiple antennas, and Terahertz spectrum. Moreover, new use cases will be envisaged that include 3D network deployments, for e.g., high-rise infrastructure and large public events, mobile backhauls such as drones, among others.

Technology feasibility assessed through coverage-capacity (CC) analysis within a multi-tier deployment scenario is typically evaluated through analytical formulation, to provide a proof-of. concept prior to simulation and prototyping. Previous works have evaluated CC resorting to stochastic geometry (SG) and Poisson-Point-Processes (PPP) to model the spatial deployment in 2D space. However, as the technology roadmap proceeds to 6G and 3D deployments, there is a need to revisit legacy modelling tools to assess CC within 3D space that include hotspot users. For e.g., UAVs providing hotspot broadband services within a live event, that requires the ad-hoc deployment of cellular infrastructure. What is the impact of height and dense hotspot deployment on CC are research questions.

This work presented a novel 3D SG multi-tier network model based on 5G milli-meter (mmWave) and 6G THz. Whereas the mmWave macro-cell deployment model is proven by the Poisson Point Process (PPP), the deployed THz small cells are modelled using SG and in particular the Thomas Cluster Process (TCP) providing a more accurate approach towards modelling the distribution of network assets. Moreover, the height dimension was characterized to provide a more complete CC model and evaluation.

The findings demonstrate that 3D network model has lower CC compared to the 2D model due to the addition of height within the UAV scenario, where inherently there is greater path loss and higher molecular absorption. Moreover, the CC performance for multi-tier network model consistently outperforms the single-tier network models for both 2D and 3D scenarios.
Exploitation Route The results from this work provide valuable guidelines for research stakeholders and network engineers modelling next-generation heterogeneous cellular networks, providing new insights on how to deploy small cells within 3D space to provide THz connectivity services.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software)

Leisure Activities

including Sports

Recreation and Tourism
URL https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10648247
 
Title Performance Analysis of UAV-Aided THz-based 6G Networks: A Stochastic Geometry Approach 
Description To address 3D network optimal coverage probability for 6G networks, that includes characterizing coverage-capacity coverage in 3D space. The use of terahertz (THz) frequency requires dominant line of sight (LoS) connectivity, due to its sensitivity to blockages, path loss and molecular absorption. To circumvent the problem associated with THz transmissions, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) as aerial base station, can offer significant advantage to provide non-line-of-sight (nLoS) coverage. However, this introduces an additional degree of freedom in terms of network modelling, where we now have a three-dimensional (3D) deployment model. In fact, the number of UAVs and their 3D positioning in space influences the quality of service (QoS). Existing works and legacy network models consider only 2D space. This new technology addresses the 3D network modelling in terms of the variable UAV's height, ground distance from the UAV to user terminal (UT) and path elevation angle ?, and proposes a new 3D channel model delivering enhanced coverage and quality of service (QoS) for various signal-to-interference-noise-ratio (SINR) thresholds. 
Type Of Technology New/Improved Technique/Technology 
Year Produced 2024 
Impact This work has provided a basis for characterizing 3D network coverage-capacity for mobile networking scenarios, that include 3D deployment scenarios, such as modelling the number of UAVs and their 3D positioning in space that influences the signal quality. This work has resulted in a published work 2024 (24th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON), Bari, Italy, 2024), and a basis for promoting further research with regards to enhancing signal characterization through employing more accurate statistical models to reflect practical deployment scenarios in 6G systems. 
URL https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10648247