Today, both mobile services and application's usage and pace are accelerating. The statistics show beyond any doubt that wireless and cellular network technologies need to be enhanced to support such demands. To provide a solution towards meeting new and ever more stringent end-user requirements, mobile stakeholders are preparing the 5G technology of mobile broadband networking. 5G will be characterized by ultra-high traffic volume density, ultra-high connection density or ultra-high mobility, moving from a cell centric to a user-centric technology.
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This research explores the Carrier Aggregation technique to obtain high spectral efficiency, through the
massification of small cells (SCs), together with new network technologies like C-RAN. Scenarios with
exclusive spectrum access and spectrum sharing will be explored. Spectrum sharing assumes that two
or more mobile operators/carriers have dedicated spectrum for macro cellular layer while SCs will use
exclusive shared spectrum (by paying a fee) or share the access to non-licensed spectrum in an
opportunist manner. Both terrestrial cellular scenarios and HetNets with drones small cells will be
investigated, and some tests will be done with programmable electronic envisaging demonstrating the
concept in real environments. Entrepreneurship is also a target and training will be provided in the
venues of the CONQUEST Workshops. Cost/revenue optimization is one of the final goals of the
research.
IT will contribute with analytical formulations, simulation, carrier aggregation, inclusion of spectrum
sharing, hardware testing in the ORCIP platform (an FCT infrastructure recently approved, which will
provide equipment and measurement instruments for testing, as well as support for real operation of
the HetNet infrastructure, http://www.orcip.pt), design and implementation of the drones small cells and
cost/revenue optimization, entrepreneurship and business strategies. IT will also provide the required
interactions to PDMFC, the Portuguese SME that is interested in exploring the technology. CISUC will contribute with opportunistic access to spectrum, aspects of spectrum sharing, simulation,
security issues and MAC sub-layer protocols. CISUC also will offer his expertise on business strategies
and economic aspects of mobile networking.The CMU team will contribute with knowledge on spectrum sharing and carrier aggregation as well as aspect of public policy in the management of spectrum.
The team is committed in promoting future expansion of project through a Portuguese demonstration
(TRL 5/6) project with PDMFC, efforts with the regulator (ICP-ANACOM) in Portugal to boost the
introduction of spectrum sharing availability, and to seek for support from government agencies,
companies, and industry consortia through CMU. Through the entrepreneurship initiatives, the creation
of a start-up will be pursued. The CONQUEST research team will start interacting with potential financial
investors who, together with PDMFC will establish a business plan to be developed the pre-commercial
prototypes of the drone small cells family of products, supporting spectrum sharing and aggregation as
well as spatial processing/ security solutions (solutions to be developed in the next phase), and then
bring it to industrial production and commercialization.
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