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5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Optics and Lasers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 22028

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Agapi Mesodiakaki

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Guest Editor

Department of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54453 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: energy-efficient 5G radio resource management; converged FiWi 5G networks; millimeter wave; cognitive radio; optimization theory

Dr. George Kalfas

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Guest Editor

Department of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54453 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: MAC layer protocols; topology and architectures for converged fiber-wireless networks; 5G and beyond 5G networks

Dr. Marios Gatzianas

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Guest Editor

Department of Informatics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54453 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: cross-layer optimization and control of 5G wireless networks; algorithm analysis/design; information theory; next-generation cellular systems design and performance analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To unleash the full potential of 5G communications and to prepare the ground for beyond 5G (B5G) communications, the joint study and optimization of the optical and wireless network domains is expected to play a key role. New 5G service requirements, such as high network capacity and ultra-reliable and low-latency communications, supporting a massive number of connections and others, are shaping the evolution not only of the wireless radio component but, also, of the optical wired segments, spanning from access to core network. On a longer-term horizon pointing towards 5G and B5G, new challenging technical directions are arising that promise to revolutionize users’ network experience. While this is a vision and the exact service definitions are still to be provided, it is certain that next-generation service requirements will be further intensified across all fields of network specifications, i.e., capacity, latency, reconfigurability, reliability, and security, and as such simple upscaling of the present wireless and optical networks infrastructure is not a viable solution. A redesign that features sublinear service scaling costs, extreme bitrates, and low-latency guarantees, with in-built software and hardware security at the component and system level in addition to automated reconfigurability, will be needed. The latter will be facilitated by even greater network softwarization and virtualization of critical infrastructure enabling, among others, zero-touch network configuration, resource sharing among operators, and much higher economies of scale than is currently possible. To support the user-centric communication paradigm introduced with 5G, enhanced and computationally efficient artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) algorithms also need to be developed to predict user behavior and demands and, consequently, dynamically adapt the communication path, even proactively, in real-time. Hence, new and possibly disruptive solutions must be investigated across the optical and wireless domains, both for the data and the control planes.

For this Special Issue, we invite submissions exploring converged optical and wireless B5G network functionalities in a variety of topics. Contributions can focus on techniques and resource allocation algorithms, design, analysis, and management of virtualized networks, security and resilience, end-to-end network performance optimization, or cross-layer optimization strategies for B5G networks. Survey papers and reviews are also welcomed.

Dr. Agapi Mesodiakaki
Dr. George Kalfas
Dr. Marios Gatzianas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

5G and B5G networks
converged fiber-wireless networks
performance analysis and optimization
resource allocation algorithms
network virtualization
network security and resilience
system design and implementation
optical domain
wireless domain

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3555 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A QoS-Enabled Medium-Transparent MAC Protocol for Fiber-Wireless 5G RAN Transport Networks

by George Kalfas, Dimitris Palianopoulos, Agapi Mesodiakaki, Marios Gatzianas, Christos Vagionas, Ronis Maximidis and Nikos Pleros

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(17), 8708; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178708 - 30 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1384

Abstract

In order to meet the ever-increasing 5G and beyond Radio Access Network (RAN) densification demands, Fiber-Wireless transport networks are expected to play a key role in accelerating 5G deployment by providing the essential RAN flexibility, while at the same time avoiding costly fiber-trenching. Due to the inefficiency of the Radio-and-Fiber (R&F) networks for application in dense RAN topologies, Analog-Radio-over-Fiber (A-RoF) technology is regarded as a key enabling solution, since it greatly simplifies the remote antenna while offering very high spectral efficiency. For this type of dense A-RoF network, new and efficient Medium-Transparent-Medium Access Control (MT-MAC) protocols are required that can concurrently arbitrate optical and wireless resources, while at the same time offering the necessary Quality-of-Service (QoS) for correct operation of the combined Fronthaul/Midhaul/Backhaul segments present in 5G disaggregated RANs. In this paper, we propose a QoS-enabled MT-MAC (qMT-MAC) protocol that can combine Fronthaul/Midhaul/Backhaul flows under the same framework, while satisfying the strict delay and jitter requirements set by the relevant standards. Results show that qMT-MAC concurrently achieves the delay and jitter requirements for combined Fronthaul/Midhaul/Backhaul traffic even when loads approach the network’s capacity, while attested enhanced prioritization policies can offer up to a 64% delay reduction over State-of-the-Art MT-MAC protocols. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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15 pages, 536 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Latency-Aware Offloading Strategy over Fiber-Wireless (FiWi) Infrastructures for Tactile Internet Services

by Qinglong Dai, Jin Qian, Guangjun Qin, Jianwu Li and Jun Zhao

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(13), 6417; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136417 - 24 Jun 2022

Viewed by 1114

Abstract

With the emergence of the tactile internet, low-latency, even, real-time data transmission is indispensable for human-agent–robot teamwork. Offloading is considered a feasible approach. Determining the offloading solution according to the dynamic network circumstance is attractive. In this paper, we investigate the resource management issue in a three-tier, heterogeneous, fiber-wireless (FiWi) network with offloading. Based on the model of the wireless link, the fiber link, the data rate, and the offloading, a mixed-integer, non-linear problem is formulated to obtain the minimum total latency for tactile internet services. Through constraint relaxation, MINLP is converted to a linear problem (LP). A Lagrange multiplier method with Karush–Kuhn–Tucker (KKT) conditions is used to solve LP. Using the numerical simulation, the superiority of our work is evaluated and compared with the previous work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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20 pages, 2234 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Performance of Flow Allocation with Successive Interference Cancelation for Random Access WMNs

by Manolis Ploumidis, Nikolaos Pappas and Apostolos Traganitis

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2866; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062866 - 10 Mar 2022

Viewed by 1270

Abstract

In this study, we explore the gain that can be achieved by jointly allocating flow on multiple paths and applying successive interference cancelation (SIC), for random access wireless mesh networks with multi-packet reception capabilities. We explore a distributed flow allocation scheme aimed at maximizing average aggregate flow throughput, while also providing bounded delay when SIC is employed. The aforementioned scheme is evaluated both in terms of delay and throughput, and is also compared with other simple flow allocation schemes. We present simulation results from three illustrative topologies. Our results show that the gain for the scheme with SIC, when compared with a variant that treats interference as noise (IAN), can be up to

15.2 %

, for an SINR threshold value equal to

0.5

. For SINR threshold values as high as

2.0

however, SIC does not always result in higher throughput. In some scenarios, the gain of SIC over IAN is insignificant, while in some others treating interference as noise proves to be better. The reason is that, although SIC improves the throughput on a specific link, it also increases the interference imposed on neighboring receivers. We also show that the gain from applying SIC is more profound in cases of a large degree of asymmetry among interfering links. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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15 pages, 3499 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Demonstration of a Hybrid Analog–Digital Transport System Architecture for 5G and Beyond Networks

by Konstantina Kanta, Panagiotis Toumasis, Kostas Tokas, Ioannis Stratakos, Elissaios Alexis Papatheofanous, Giannis Giannoulis, Ioanna Mesogiti, Eleni Theodoropoulou, George Lyberopoulos, George Lentaris, Dimitris Apostolopoulos, Dionysis Reisis, Dimitrios Soudris and Hercules Avramopoulos

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2122; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12042122 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2337

Abstract

In future mobile networks, the evolution of optical transport architectures enabling the flexible, scalable interconnection of Baseband Units (BBUs) and Radio Units (RUs) with heterogeneous interfaces is a significant issue. In this paper, we propose a multi-technology hybrid transport architecture that comprises both analog and digital-Radio over Fiber (RoF) mobile network segments relying on a dynamically reconfigurable optical switching node. As a step forward, the integration of the discussed network layout into an existing mobile infrastructure is demonstrated, enabling the support of real-world services through both standard digital and Analog–Intermediate- Frequency over Fiber (A-IFoF)-based converged fiber–wireless paths. Emphasis has been placed on the implementation of a real-time A-IFoF transceiver that is employed through a single embedded fully programmable gateway array (FPGA)-based platform that serves as an Ethernet to Intermediate Frequency (IF) bridge for the transmission of legacy traffic over the analog network segment. The experimental evaluation of the proposed concept was based on the dynamic optical routing of the legacy Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI), 1.5 GBaud analog-intermediate frequency-over-fiber (A-IFoF)/mmWave and 10 Gbps binary optical waveforms, showing acceptable error vector magnitude (EVM) values for the complex radio waveforms and error-free operation for binary optical streams, with Bit Error Rate (BER) values less than 10⁻⁹. Finally, the end-to-end proof-of-concept demonstration of the proposed solution was achieved through the delivery of 4K video streaming and Internet Protocol (IP) calls over a mobile core network. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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9 pages, 1909 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Computational Analysis of a 200 GHz Phased Array Using Lens-Coupled Annular-Slot Antennas

by Peizhao Li, Yu Shi, Yijing Deng and Lei Liu

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1407; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031407 - 28 Jan 2022

Viewed by 1528

Abstract

We report the design, simulation, and analysis of a THz phased array, using lens-coupled annular-slot antennas (ASAs) for potential beyond 5G or 6G wireless communications. For a prototype demonstration, the ASA employed was designed on a high resistivity Si substrate with a radius of 106 μm, and a gap width of 6 um for operation at 200 GHz. In order to achieve higher antenna gain and efficiency, an extended hemispherical silicon lens was also used. To investigate the effect of the silicon lens on the ASA phased array, a 1 × 3 array and 1 × 5 array (the element distance is 0.55λ) were implemented with a silicon lens using different extension lengths. The simulation shows that for a 1 × 3 array, a ±17° scanning angle with an about −10 dB sidelobe level and 11.82 dB gain improvement (compared to the array without lens) can be achieved using a lens radius of 5000 μm and an extension length of 1000 μm. A larger scanning angle of ±31° can also be realized by a 1 × 5 array (using a shorter extension length of 250 μm). The approach of designing a 200 GHz lens-coupled phased array reported here is informative and valuable for the future development of wireless communication technologies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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16 pages, 2811 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deducing of Optical and Electronic Domains Based Distortions in Radio over Fiber Network

by Haoyu Yu, Farman Ali, Shanshan Tu, Hanen Karamti, Ammar Armghan, Fazal Muhammad, Fayadh Alenezi, Khurram Hameed and Nauman Ahmad

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020753 - 12 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1516

Abstract

Managing the users multimedia and long-range based demands, the radio over fiber (RoF) mechanism has been introduced recently. RoF mingles the optical and radio communication frameworks to increase mobility and offer high capacity communication networks (CNs). In this paper, a full-duplex RoF-based CN is investigated for the next-generation passive optical network (PON), utilizing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology. The desolations on account of optical and electronic domains (OEDs) are addressed, using dispersion compensation fiber (DCF) and optical and electrical filters, including modulation scheme. The analytical and simulation models are analyzed in terms of phase error (PE), radio frequency (RF), fiber length and input and received powers. The performance of the proposed model is successfully evaluated for 50 km range, −40 to −18 dBm received power, −20 to 0 dBm input power, where below

10^{- 6}

bit error rate (BER) is recorded. Thus, this signifies that the presented model exhibits smooth execution against OEDs impairments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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33 pages, 3240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Multi-Provider End-to-End Dynamic Orchestration Architecture Approach for 5G and Future Communication Systems

by José Olimpio Rodrigues Batista, Jr., Douglas Chagas da Silva, Moacyr Martucci, Jr., Regina Melo Silveira and Carlos Eduardo Cugnasca

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(24), 11914; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112411914 - 15 Dec 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3069

Abstract

Network segregation is the solution adopted in the IMT-2020 standardization of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), better known as 5G networks (Fifth Generation Mobile Networks), under development to meet the requirements of performance, reliability, energy, and economic efficiency required by applications in the various verticals of current and near-future economic activities. The philosophy adopted for the IMT-2020 standardization relies on the use of Software-Defined Networking (SDN), Network Function Virtualization (NFV), and Software-Defined Radio (SDR), i.e., the softwarization of the network. Softwarization allows network segregation through its slicing, which is discussed herein this work. Network slicing is performed by a novel Orchestrator, as provided in IMT-2020, which maintains the end-to-end network slices independent of each other and performs horizontal handover when the possibility of a loss of Quality of Service (QoS) is predictively detected by monitoring quality parameters during operation. Therefore, the Orchestrator is dynamic, operates in uptime, and allows horizontal handover. Hence, it chooses the most appropriate telecommunication infrastructure provider and network operator to guarantee QoS and Quality of Experience (QoE) to end-users in each network segment. These features make this work modern and keep it aligned with the actions being carried out by ITU. Based on this objective, as the main result of this paper, we propose an effective architecture for implementing the Orchestrator, not only to contribute to the state of the art for 5G and beyond communication systems but also to generate economic, technological, and social impacts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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14 pages, 3892 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Bit-Interleaved Sigma-Delta-Over-Fiber Fronthaul Network for Frequency-Synchronous Distributed Antenna Systems

by Chia-Yi Wu, Haolin Li, Joris Van Kerrebrouck, Caro Meysmans, Piet Demeester and Guy Torfs

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11471; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311471 - 3 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1791

Abstract

Cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) has attracted wide attention as wireless spectral efficiency has become a 6G key performance indicator. The distributed scheme improves the spectral efficiency and user fairness, but the fronthaul network must evolve to enable it. This work demonstrates a fronthaul network for distributed antenna systems enabled by the bit-interleaved sigma-delta-over-fiber (BISDoF) concept: multiple sigma-delta modulated baseband signals are time-interleaved into one non-return-to-zero (NRZ) signal, which is converted to the optical domain by a commercial QSFP and transmitted over fiber. The BISDoF concept improves the optical bit-rate efficiency while keeping the remote unit complexity sufficiently low. The implementation successfully deals with an essential challenge—precise frequency synchronization of different remote units. Moreover, owing to the straightforward data paths, all transceivers inherently transmit or receive with fixed timing offsets which can be easily calibrated. The error vector magnitudes of both the downlink and uplink data paths are less than 2.8% (–31 dB) when transmitting 40.96 MHz-bandwidth OFDM signals (256-QAM) centered around 3.6 GHz. (Optical path: 100 m multi-mode fibers; wireless path: electrical back-to-back.) Without providing an extra reference clock, the two remote units were observed to have the same carrier frequency; the standard deviation of the relative jitter was 9.43 ps. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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23 pages, 1753 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Offline Joint Network and Computational Resource Allocation for Energy-Efficient 5G and beyond Networks

by Marios Gatzianas, Agapi Mesodiakaki, George Kalfas, Nikos Pleros, Francesca Moscatelli, Giada Landi, Nicola Ciulli and Leonardo Lossi

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(22), 10547; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112210547 - 9 Nov 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1626

Abstract

In order to cope with the ever-increasing traffic demands and stringent latency constraints, next generation, i.e., sixth generation (6G) networks, are expected to leverage Network Function Virtualization (NFV) as an enabler for enhanced network flexibility. In such a setup, in addition to the traditional problems of user association and traffic routing, Virtual Network Function (VNF) placement needs to be jointly considered. To that end, in this paper, we focus on the joint network and computational resource allocation, targeting low network power consumption while satisfying the Service Function Chain (SFC), throughput, and delay requirements. Unlike the State-of-the-Art (SoA), we also take into account the Access Network (AN), while formulating the problem as a general Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP). Due to the high complexity of the proposed optimal solution, we also propose a low-complexity energy-efficient resource allocation algorithm, which was shown to significantly outperform the SoA, by achieving up to 78% of the optimal energy efficiency with up to 742 times lower complexity. Finally, we describe an Orchestration Framework for the automated orchestration of vertical-driven services in Network Slices and describe how it encompasses the proposed algorithm towards optimized provisioning of heterogeneous computation and network resources across multiple network segments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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25 pages, 3967 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multimodal Feature-Assisted Continuous Driver Behavior Analysis and Solving for Edge-Enabled Internet of Connected Vehicles Using Deep Learning

by Omar Aboulola, Mashael Khayyat, Basma Al-Harbi, Mohammed Saleh Ali Muthanna, Ammar Muthanna, Heba Fasihuddin and Majid H. Alsulami

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 10462; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110462 - 7 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2185

Abstract

The emerging technology of internet of connected vehicles (IoCV) introduced many new solutions for accident prevention and traffic safety by monitoring the behavior of drivers. In addition, monitoring drivers’ behavior to reduce accidents has attracted considerable attention from industry and academic researchers in recent years. However, there are still many issues that have not been addressed due to the lack of feature extraction. To this end, in this paper, we propose the multimodal driver analysis internet of connected vehicles (MODAL-IoCV) approach for analyzing drivers’ behavior using a deep learning method. This approach includes three consecutive phases. In the first phase, the hidden Markov model (HMM) is proposed to predict vehicle motion and lane changes. In the second phase, SqueezeNet is proposed to perform feature extraction from these classes. Lastly, in the final phase, tri-agent-based soft actor critic (TA-SAC) is proposed for recommendation and route planning, in which each driver is precisely handled by an edge node for personalized assistance. Finally, detailed experimental results prove that our proposed MODAL-IoCV method can achieve high performance in terms of latency, accuracy, false alarm rate, and motion prediction error compared to existing works. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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17 pages, 6360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Wearable Device for Residential Elbow Joint Rehabilitation with Voice Prompts and Tracking Feedback APP

by Yi-Chao Wu, Zhen-Di Shao and Hsuan-Kai Kao

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 10225; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110225 - 1 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1868

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a wearable device for residential elbow joint rehabilitation with voice prompts and a tracking feedback app (WDRTFAPP). We have developed the app as well as the Arduino embedded system, which we have integrated together. In this research, the patients were simulated by our team not real patients. By using this wearable device, the elbow joint rehabilitation could be executed at home for the simulated patients with mild and moderately mild elbow joint symptoms. During the rehabilitation, data captured by the wearable device were sent to the tracking feedback APP, using automatic real time via Bluetooth transmission. After TFAPP received the rehabilitation data from the wearable device, the rehabilitation data was sent to the cloud database by Wi-Fi or 5G communication automatically in real time. When the performance of the elbow joint rehabilitation was incorrect the patients received a voice prompt by TFAPP. The simulated patients could query their rehabilitation data using different search strategies, namely by date or TFAPP, at any time or location. In the experimental results, it showed that the correct detecting rate of elbow joint rehabilitation could be up to 90% by WDRTFAPP. The medical staff also could track the rehabilitation status of each simulated patient by the tracking feedback APP (TFAPP) with remote accessing, such as the Internet. Moreover, the rehabilitation appointments could be set up by the clinical staff with TFAPP, using the Internet. Furthermore, the medical staff could track the rehabilitation status of each simulated patient and give feedback at any time and location. The costs of the rehabilitation could be reduced (in terms of time and money spent by the simulated patients) and the manpower required by the hospital. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5G and Beyond Fiber-Wireless Network Communications)

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