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The evolution of cellular networks from its first generation (1G) to its fourth generation (4G) was driven by the demand of user-centric downlink capacity also technically called Mobile Broad-Band (MBB). With its fifth generation (5G), Machine Type Communication (MTC) has been added into the target use cases and the upcoming generation of cellular networks is expected to support them. However, such support requires improvements in the existing technologies in terms of latency, reliability, energy efficiency, data rate, scalability, and capacity.
Originally, MTC was designed for low-bandwidth high-latency applications such as, environmental sensing, smart dustbin, etc. Nowadays there is an additional demand around applications with low-latency requirements. Among other well-known challenges for recent cellular networks such as data rate energy efficiency, reliability etc., latency is also not suitable for mission-critical applications such as real-time control of machines, autonomous driving, tactile Internet etc. Therefore, in the currently deployed cellular networks, there is a necessity to reduce the latency and increase the reliability offered by the networks to support use cases such as, cooperative autonomous driving or factory automation, that are grouped under the denomination Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC).
This thesis is primarily concerned with the latency into the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) of cellular networks. The overall work is divided into five parts. The first part presents the state of the art for cellular networks. The second part contains a detailed overview of URLLC use cases and the requirements that must be fulfilled by the cellular networks to support them. The work in this thesis is done as part of a collaboration project between IRIMAS lab in Université de Haute-Alsace, France and Institute for Reliable Embedded Systems and Communication Electronics (ivESK) in Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany. The selected use cases of URLLC are part of the research interests of both partner institutes. The third part presents a detailed study and evaluation of user- and control-plane latency mechanisms in current generation of cellular networks. The evaluation and analysis of these latencies, performed with the open-source ns-3 simulator, were conducted by exploring a broad range of parameters that include among others, traffic models, channel access parameters, realistic propagation models, and a broad set of cellular network protocol stack parameters. These simulations were performed with low-power, low-cost, and wide-range devices, commonly called IoT devices, and standardized for cellular networks. These devices use either LTE-M or Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) technologies that are designed for connected things. They differ mainly by the provided bandwidth and other additional characteristics such as coding scheme, device complexity, and so on.
The fourth part of this thesis shows a study, an implementation, and an evaluation of latency reduction techniques that target the different layers of the currently used Long Term Evolution (LTE) network protocol stack. These techniques based on Transmission Time Interval (TTI) reduction and Semi-Persistent Scheduling (SPS) methods are implemented into the ns-3 simulator and are evaluated through realistic simulations performed for a variety of low-latency use cases focused on industry automation and vehicular networking. For testing the proposed latency reduction techniques in cellular networks, since ns-3 does not support NB-IoT in its current release, an NB-IoT extension for LTE module was developed. This makes it possible to explore deployment limitations and issues.
In the last part of this thesis, a flexible deployment framework called Hybrid Scheduling and Flexible TTI for the proposed latency reduction techniques is presented, implemented and evaluated through realistic simulations. With help of the simulation evaluation, it is shown that the improved LTE network proposed and implemented in the simulator can support low-latency applications with low cost, higher range, and narrow bandwidth devices. The work in this thesis points out the potential improvement techniques, their deployment issues and paves the way towards the support for URLLC applications with upcoming cellular networks.
With many advances in sensor technology and the Internet of Things, Vehicle Ad Hoc Net- work (VANET) is becoming a new generation. VANET’s current technical challenges are deploying decentralized architecture and protecting privacy. Because Blockchain features are decentralized, distributed, mass storage, and non-manipulation features, this paper designs a new decentralized architecture using Blockchain technology called Blockchain-based VANET. Blockchain-based VANET can effectively resolve centralized problems and mutual distrust between VANET units. To achieve this, it is needed to provide scalability on the blockchain to run for VANET. In this system, our focus is on the reliability of incoming messages on the network. Vehicles check the validity of the received messages using the proposed Bayesian formula for trust management system and some information saved in the Blockchain. Then, based on the validation result, the vehicle computes a rate for each message type and message source vehicle. Vehicles upload the computed rates to Roadside Units (RSUs) in order to calculate the net reliability value. Finally, RSUs using a sharding consensus mechanism generate blocks, including the net reliability value as a transaction. In this system, all RSUs collaboratively maintain the latest updated Blockchain. Our experimental results show that the proposed system is effective, scalable and dependable in data gathering, computing, organization, and retrieval of trust values in VANET.
Conceptualization and implementation of automated optimization methods for private 5G networks
(2023)
Today’s companies are adjusting to the new connectivity realities. New applications require more bandwidth, lower latency, and higher reliability as industries become more distributed and autonomous. Private 5th Generation (5G) networks known as 5G Non-Public Networks (5G-NPN), is a novel 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)- based 5G network that can deliver seamless and dedicated wireless access for a particular industrial use case by providing the mentioned application’s requirements. To meet these requirements, several radio-related aspects and network parameters should be considered. In many cases, the behavior of the link connection may vary based on wireless conditions, available network resources, and User Equipment (UE) requirements. Furthermore, Optimizing these networks can be a complex task due to the large number of network parameters and KPIs that need to be considered. For these reasons, traditional solutions and static network configuration are not affordable or simply impossible. Despite the existence of papers in the literature that address several optimization methods for cellular networks in industrial scenarios, more insight into these existing but complex or unknown methods is needed.
In this thesis, a series of optimization methods were implemented to deliver an optimal configuration solution for a 5G private network. To facilitate this implementation, a testing system was implemented. This system enables remote control over the UE and 5G network, establishment of a test environment, extraction of relevant KPI reports from both UE and network sides, assessment of test results and KPIs, and effective utilization of the optimization and sampling techniques.
The research highlights the advantageous aspects of automated testing by using OFAT, Simulated Annealing, and Random Forest Regressor methods. With OFAT, as a common sampling method, a sensitivity analysis and an impact of each single parameter variation on the performance of the network were revealed. With Simulated Annealing, an optimal solution with MSE of roughly 10 was revealed. And, in the Random Forest Regressor, it was seen that this method presented a significant advantage over the simulated annealing method by providing substantial benefits in time efficiency due to its machine- learning capability. Additionally, it was seen that by providing a larger dataset or using some other machine-learning techniques, the solution might be more accurate.
In recent years, both the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technologies have been highly influential and revolutionary. IoT enables companies to embrace Industry 4.0, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which benefits from communication and connectivity to reduce cost and to increase productivity through sensor-based autonomy. These automated systems can be further refined with smart contracts that are executed within a blockchain, thereby increasing transparency through continuous and indisputable logging. Ideally, the level of security for these IoT devices shall be very high, as they are specifically designed for this autonomous and networked environment. This paper discusses a use case of a company with legacy devices that wants to benefit from the features and functionality of blockchain technology. In particular, the implications of retrofit solutions are analyzed. The use of the BISS:4.0 platform is proposed as the underlying infrastructure. BISS:4.0 is
intended to integrate the blockchain technologies into existing enterprise environments. Furthermore, a security analysis of IoT and blockchain present attacks and countermeasures are presented that are identified and applied to the mentioned use case.