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5G Features A Voyage Through Selected Aspects

GRANDMETRIC GUIDEPAPER

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Executive summary

Mobile networks must constantly evolve to fulfill the expectations of the users as well as meet the requirements

of the operators. With the new releases of the 3GPP specifications, there are multiple improvements and

enhancements on top of the currently used standards. Some of these ideas do not fit into the scope of LTE, so a

new generation is about to be specified. All those new technologies are gathered under the term “5G”. There are

many different concepts regarding the shape of the upcoming generation. Some early ideas were left out, but

others have become a crucial part of 5G. We will provide a detailed overview of selected aspects of 5G which

includes the salient features, along with the silent features, such as utilization of satellites.

This Guidepaper starts with the introduction and short explanation of the buzzwords related to 5G, in particular to

the air interface and the networking of the new generation. We will introduce the subjects like millimeter Waves,

Massive MIMO, Software Defined Networking and many more. Then, selected 3GPP Release 15 Study- and Work

Items are presented, covering the concepts discussed for the 5G and the New Radio.

Next chapters focus on specific aspects of the 5G, namely Core Network and its overview, possible utilization of

the satellites – what benefits can they bring and what are the use cases. This is followed by a discussion on how

can 5th generation network become more energy efficient and whether it can become a competition to the fixed

access as the Wi-Fi. Will all the new features tip the balance in favor of 5G? The Guidepaper ends with summary,

which concludes all the chapters.

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Contents

4 5G System – Hot topics

6 Selected networking aspects

8 5G Work Items

11 5G Core Network – A short overview

16 Energy efficiency - How to make 5G an energy efficient system?

20 Summary

24 References

2 Executive summary

5 Selected air interface aspects

8 5G Standardization

9 5G Study Items

14 Satellites – How do they fit into 5G?

18 Fixed-Mobile Convergence

21 Glossary

25 About the authors

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5G System Hot topics

Increasing demands of users and applications force the continuous

development of mobile networks. The natural course is improvements

and enhancements of existing networks as this is, in most cases, the

easiest and the cheapest way to go. There is, however a limit in such

approach – we can squeeze a lot from the currently used networks,

but the new generation is inevitable. There is a need for novel solutions,

that cannot fit into the LTE.

As the “5G” research and standardization is progressing, it is worth taking a look on some concepts that are

potentially serving as building blocks for the future systems. They are divided in this chapter into: Air interface and

Networking concepts. The figure below provides an overview of the studied aspects of both, and the next sections

elaborates about the selected aspects.

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Selected air interface aspects The first group of topics is related to the air interface – communication between the Base Station and the UE.

millimeter Wave (mmW) – The high-frequency ranges are currently becoming very important, as they offer large

spectrum blocks to provide the high capacity required for the 5G system. The industry is currently speaking of

frequencies ranging from 24GHz to up to 86GHz (targeting WRC-2019). Of course, those come at the expense of

short ranges (propagation losses), lower diffraction and weaker NLOS operation.

Massive MIMO (MMIMO) – A coherent Tx/Rx using tens to hundreds of antenna elements are envisioned to fit

perfectly with the use of mmW, because it can maximize the mmW range/coverage by using very narrow

beamforming. At the same time, mmW also reveals the possibility to use massive antenna panels consisting of

small individual antenna elements. This concept assumes that the massive antennas are at the “site” providing

multi-user MIMO to devices which on the other hand utilize lower number of antennas.

Unified Air Interface (UAI) – As 5G use cases defined by 3GPP pose very different and sometimes contradicting

requirements along with different KPIs (e.g. latency, throughput, reliability, transmission character), there’s no way

that the good old “one-size-fits-all” design principle can be applied. Thus, the air interface covering different access

schemes and waveform parameters is needed. One such example is a PHY layer frame design, where different

numerologies for waveforms are discussed together with scalable TTIs to cover the “three edges of the services

triangle” from ITU-R, namely eMBB (enhanced mobile broad-band), mMTC (massive machine type

communications) and URLLC (ultra-reliable and low latency communications). For more reasoning behind the UAI

see the figure below.

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Selected networking aspects The other part of 5G is the networking side – the communication between the Base Station and the Core Network

and within the Core Network itself. There is a noticeable traction of going towards Software Defined Network (SDN)

and virtualization.

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) – Incorporates an IT concept to decouple software from hardware, i.e.

virtualize network node functions so that they can be placed in a commodity hardware in different places (e.g. edge,

center clouds) and defined as building blocks that can be “chained” together to create a virtual/logical network or

a service in an optimized manner. This can be combined with SDN to create a fully software-based dynamic system,

where new services can be created in a very efficient and fast manner.

Software Defined Networking (SDN) – Incorporates the concept from computer/IP networks to decouple the

Control-Plane (decision of where the traffic is sent) from User-Plane (actually forwarding the traffic) enabling

efficient and separate optimization of each Plane. Through this, we can dynamically manipulate and optimize the

network functions placement and operation to tailor them to specific needs and utilize resources more efficiently

compared to static designs.

Network Slicing – Enables to utilize a single infrastructure to provide different and, to a certain extent,

independent logical networks. Through this, a network operator can provide tailored and isolated services to

different users/tenants/businesses.

Tight Interworking with evolved LTE-Advanced – As further evolution of LTE-Advanced is to be a part of the 5G

system (for the operators to leverage their previous investments), the tight interworking with the new radio (NR) is

a natural requirement. To enable this, concepts such as “Multi-RAT Dual-Connectivity”, LTE (NR) connectivity

anchoring and RAN-based Multi-RAT handover have been introduced.

Ultra-Dense Networks (UDN) – A system where the ISD (Inter-site distance) is in the range of 10-50 meters and

small cells provide solid coverage in the area (instead of a spotty one as in HetNets). This of course would not be

provided everywhere and in a nation-wide way, but rather in hotspot areas. Here, multi-connectivity, interference

management and efficient energy saving mechanisms are the most crucial for the design.

Native Self-Organized Networks (SON) – As the first “version” of SON was designed as an add-on to the already

existing system, it was not that successful (especially for the small cells), with 5G, there’s a possibility to do that

differently, i.e. provide automation within the design of the next generation system (not on top).

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Native Device-to-Device communications (D2D) – D2D was added after the LTE system was standardized and “set

in stone” (i.e. as a new feature). In 5G, it is envisioned that the device could be natively treated flexibly acting either

as an end-point, or as a part of the network relaying the communications to other devices for certain use-cases (of

course not for all devices and it should depend on the capabilities and use cases).

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5G Standardization Work- and Study-Items

In parallel to LTE evolution, Rel-14 initialized, the first set of

study and work items towards 5G. While Rel-14 focused

solely on 5G study items, the normative work for the first

phase of 5G system specification has started within Rel-15

targeting freeze date of September 2018 [1]. This section

describes a selected set of Rel-15 features covering 5G

aspects.

5G Work Items The first phase of 5G system covering the most immediate

set of use cases envisioned for 5G is going to be completed within Rel-15 (including eMBB and some URLLC

aspects), while the second phase targets Rel-16. While the freeze date for Rel-15 is set to September 2018, the so

called non-standalone (NSA) “5G version” targets its completion half year earlier (December 2017). Below, the first

set of Work-Items for 5G phase 1 are outlined:

5G System Phase-1 – a stage 2 normative specification for 5G phase 1 system with the following key features:

network slicing; access and mobility management; QoS framework; policy framework; network sharing; access of

untrusted non-3GPP; interworking, migration, roaming with EPS, etc. The specifications within Rel-15 WI will

describe system architecture and procedures for 5G system.

New Radio (NR) Access Technology – in the first phase of 5G system specification, the radio access (called New

Radio – NR) should cover the features to serve eMBB and URLLC use cases using the frequency ranges of up to

52.6GHz. One of the key aspects for NR in Rel-15 is to allow forward compatibility for smooth introduction of the

features that will be brought within Rel-16 along with 5G phase 2. The New RAT work item in phase 1 aims at

covering both NSA and SA (standalone) connectivity options.

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EPC enhancements to support 5G NR via Dual connectivity – is to be worked out, in order to achieve the early 5G

deployments based on NSA concepts where, the LTE system serves as signaling anchor and NR is added as

secondary RAT/cell (according to tight interworking requirement). Examples of those enhancements include:

extending the range of QoS parameters (e.g. AMBR); handling of the UE capabilities including 5G parameters in the

MME; or controlling the access to 5G NR.

LTE Connectivity to 5G Core Network (5G-CN) – the other side of the coin in the tight interworking between LTE and

NR, requires the E-UTRA to be connected to 5G-CN. This calls for the enhancements within LTE to support e.g.,

network slicing, flow based QoS framework, and mobility support where the handover is between NR and LTE (both

connected to 5G-CN) or between different LTE cells connected to EPC and 5G-CN.

5G Study Items As Rel-15 covers 5G Phase-I in terms of normative specification, the following items are considered for the 5G

Phase-II, while Rel-15 evaluates their feasibility within SIs.

NR-based Access to Unlicensed Spectrum – We have seen LAA come along quite a journey in the past few releases

of the 3GPP. Now with 5G NR coming closer to reality it is essential that 5G NR can take full advantage of the

developments made on access to unlicensed spectrum by LTE using LAA by ensuring fair coexistence. Within this

study many important aspects such as solutions applicable to sub6 and above6 unlicensed bands (e.g., 5GHz,

37GHz, 60GHz) are being discussed along with the physical channels which are in accordance with the design of

the 5G NR. Also being discussed, are the different architectural scenarios for NR in unlicensed spectrum such as,

NR as anchor cell (PCell on licensed spectrum) and NR unlicensed CCs as SCells, NR based cell in standalone

deployment mode with 5G-CN in unlicensed spectrum (for private networks) etc.

NR to support Non-Terrestrial Networks – From day 1, one of the possible deployment scenarios for 5G has been

via non-terrestrial networks using satellites or other aerial vehicles, in order to provide coverage to very remote

areas. This study item will discuss the channel models (propagation conditions, mobility) that will need to be used

to achieve this and define the deployment scenarios along with the related system parameters.

Enablers for Network Automation for 5G – The need to automate various functions of the networks has been one

of the important requirements for mobile network operators, in order to reduce the operational expenses. The

MNOs usually rely on various KPIs collected at different points in the network to take decisions using various data

analysis tools. Now within 5G Phase-I, Network Data Analytics (NWDA) has been introduced to provide slice specific

network data analytics automatically. This SI is dedicated to study the various automation method that can be

carried out in the network using the data obtained from NWDA.

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System and functional aspects of Energy Efficiency in 5G networks – This SI is continuation of previous studies done

by 3GPP on Energy Efficiency (EE) and is focused on 5G networks. The main aspects that will be covered during

this SI are listed below:

• Identify the EE KPIs that are relevant to the 5G networks among those defined by different bodies such as:

ETSI TC EE, ITU-T SG5, ETSI NFV ISG, etc.

• Check if existing OA&M mechanisms are relevant for the 5G networks and if not come up with new

mechanisms to address this

• Find potential enhancements that could lead to better coordinated Energy Saving in 5G networks along

with other 3GPP Systems

• Power Consumption Reduction at the Site Level

• Find any potential gaps and improve the Energy Efficiency control framework with respect to features like

NFV and Self-Organizing Networks (SON)

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5G Core Network A Short Overview

The 5G System (5GS) will have three main components as

defined below:

1. 5G Access Network (5G-AN)

2. 5G Core Network (5GC)

3. Use Equipment (UE)

This section is dedicated to describing the main components of

the 5G Core Network as defined by the efforts at 3GPP SA.

The 5G system is being designed to support data connectivity

and services which would enable deployment, by the industry,

using new techniques such as Network Function Virtualization

and Software Defined Networking as mentioned in the first chapter of this Guidepaper. The need for these new

techniques rises due to the various different profiles of data services that need to be supported by the 5G network.

So far mobile networks had been designed keeping the average smartphone user in the center but with 5G this is

changing as with the boom of data connectivity various use cases having completely different data requirements

have come up and the network operator needs to satisfy all these requirements as efficiently as possible.

Having such requirements in mind the 3GPP has kept the basic idea of having a flat architecture where the Control

Plane (CP) functions are separated from the User Plane (UP), in order to make them scaling independent allowing

operators to use this functional split for dimensioning, deploying and adapting the network to their needs easily.

Another central idea in the design of 5G has been to minimize dependencies between the Access Network (AN)

and the Core Network (CN) with a converged access-agnostic core network with a common AN – CN interface

which integrates different 3GPP and non-3GPP access types.

Network Functions To facilitate the enablement of different data services and requirements the elements of the 5GC, also called

Network Functions, have been further simplified with most of them being software based so that they could be

adapted according to need. The 5G System architecture consists of the following network functions (NF) majority

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of which constitute the 5GC:

• Authentication Server Function (AUSF)

• Core Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)

• Data network (DN), e.g. operator services, Internet access or 3rd party services

• Structured Data Storage Network Function (SDSF)

• Unstructured Data Storage Network Function (UDSF)

• Network Exposure Function (NEF)

• NF Repository Function (NRF)

• Policy Control Function (PCF)

• Session Management Function (SMF)

• Unified Data Management (UDM)

• User plane Function (UPF)

• Application Function (AF)

• User Equipment (UE)

• (Radio) Access Network ((R) AN).

The modularity of the network functions also opens the possibility to enable another new and efficient feature i.e.

Network Slicing.

The interaction between network functions in the current form is envisaged in the following two ways as per [3]:

1. The first method is the service-based representation in which one network function (e.g. AMF) within the

Control Plane allows other network functions, which have been authorized, to access its services. This

representation also includes point-to-point reference points between the NFs where necessary (see

figure below [3]).

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2. On the other hand, there is the reference point representation which focuses on the interactions between

pairs of network functions defined by point-to-point reference point (e.g. N7) between any two network

functions (e.g. SMF and PCF). This kind of representation is used when some interaction exists between

any two network functions (see figure below [3]).

With the development of 5G speeding up, we can see a clearer picture of what the future generation wireless

network would like to be able to achieve. The 5G core network aims to be flexible enough to adapt and satisfy the

needs for Gbps seeking smartphone users as well as low latency seeking critical services along with low speed IoT

devices. It is also being designed to be more open and modular than its predecessor allowing the different entities

inside the core network to interact with each other without any preconditions and allowing to define procedures for

this interaction. And this would be achieved with the help of new techniques like Network Function Virtualization,

Network Slicing, and Software Defined Networking.

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Satellites How do they fit into 5G?

As we are bombarded from all over the places with the repeated

phrase that “5G will not be only about higher speeds and

shortened latency, but it’s the whole ecosystem change”, the

question arises, do the satellite systems also fit in this picture?

Based on recent research and 3GPP standardization

discussion, the answer seems – yes, they are considered as a

part of the next generation wireless. This section presents

some use cases for application of the satellite systems in 5G

ecosystem [4][5].

Benefits of satellite systems

The benefits of the satellite systems can be as follows:

• Global reach – provide coverage over the whole world for the land (of course with the limited reach indoor),

and sea as well as can reach the aircrafts;

• High efficiency for distributing large volume of data – efficient broadcasting capabilities and content

caching;

• Synchronized delivery assurance – GPS-like synchronization usage.

Use cases for satellite systems

Due to their key features as presented above, they may find their application in the 5G context in the following

example use cases:

• Broadcast services – as they do now for digital TV;

• Broadband access everywhere – to reach places that the cost of the deployment of the regular mobile

network is too high;

• Lifeline communications disaster areas – where the connectivity of the mobile networks disappear;

• High user mobility – to decrease signaling and handover rates, as well as improve reliability by decreasing

service interruption;

• Wireless backhaul – where it’s too hard or too expensive to deploy terrestrial backhaul;

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• Aircraft services – to provide onboard connectivity;

• Massive IoT – for example for freight tracking / sensors connectivity when traveling over oceans and seas.

The 5G use case triangle

If we look at the above, we can see that satellite systems can provide benefits to all main 5G use cases (see figure

above) when integrated within 5G ecosystem, for example:

• Enhanced MBB: provide services onboard aircrafts; accelerate service deployment in underserved areas;

fast service setup for special events; provide backhaul and access links;

• Massive MTC: extend service coverage; provide access links;

• Ultra-reliable MTC: improve service reliability; provide access links;

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Energy Efficiency How to make 5G an energy efficient

system?

One of the key requirements for 5G is the

reduction of network energy consumption.

Example techniques to assure high energy

efficiency in mobile networks include: the use of

lean carrier, dynamic beamforming, efficient

energy saving schemes for Small Cells,

virtualization of the network and utilization of

dense deployments.

Energy efficiency for 5G networks The general target is that the energy consumption for 5G should not be larger than that of today’s networks (IMT

[6]), or larger than half of what the current networks consume (NGMN [7]), while still supporting 1000x capacity

increase. This means the energy efficiency of 5G systems should increase by a factor of 1000x (IMT) or 2000x

(NGMN). 3GPP also wants to evaluate and compare different solutions first [8]. Energy efficiency in the network

can be achieved by techniques that span from PHY layer to up to networking and architecture levels. Below a

subset of those is presented.

Lean carrier design – a radio frame without (or with limited) “always-on” signals like Cell-specific Reference Signals.

This approach aims at minimization of the transmission that is not directly related to data transaction. On one

hand it provides more time without any transmission (at the network side) and on the other hand the UE can also

be longer in a sleep mode.

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Dynamic beamforming – utilization of advanced beamforming and MIMO schemes enable focusing most of the

transmit energy towards a specific receiver (localized transmission), which in turn decreases the energy being

dissipated over an area where there are no users, thus saving this energy.

Dynamic energy saving schemes for small cells – a concept where the network nodes transmit only when and where

needed. This enables utilization of the cell being OFF in the times when there are no users to serve (according to

real life measurements most cells are “empty” for a significant part of the day). An example could be an energy

saving scheme with two level sleeping: deep sleep, where no synchronization is possible; light sleep, in which

discovery of the cell is possible and access is possible (cell transmits only necessary signals); and in normal

operation mode – enable data traffic transactions. Additionally, in this CP/UP split may be utilized, where macro

sites provide control plane connectivity and the small cells are used as pure UP nodes (i.e. capacity/data boosters

that can be switched on only upon need).

Densification of the network with very small cells – bringing more and more nodes to the network and reducing the

ISD and distance to a user (i.e. deploying them below rooftop) reduces the pathloss and thus the necessary power

to reach a user (and this in turn decreases the energy utilization at the UE side and required energy at the individual

network node).

Network virtualization and advanced network sharing – utilization of single infrastructure by multiple operators,

especially for dense networks, described just above, with multitude of small cells, divides the energy consumption

for each participating operator. Additionally, the network slicing concept provides the possibility to utilize only the

necessary functions that are tailored and optimized for a specific application. These functions can be flexibly

assigned to the processing nodes, thus can be deployed in the most efficient “places” with respect to e.g., energy

efficiency. Additionally, the hardware can be utilized more efficiently benefiting from pooling gains.

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Fixed-Mobile Convergence

With the recent hype on 5G, an interesting

question could be raised, namely: will a mobile

system finally become a competition to fixed

access? There are some indications, based on

which we can guess to certain extent, what are

the possible scenarios for the network evolution

under the “5G” umbrella.

5G – An alternative to Wi-Fi?

To try to answer this issue, the following items are extracted from the NGMN whitepaper [7] (which can be treated

as one of the “foundation” paper on 5G):

• It is foreseen, that 5G will address Fixed-Mobile Convergence in a much deeper way than previous

generations. The aim is to design a system which will be independent on the access technology, with the

possibility to add new technologies in a “plug-and-play manner” with an independent evolution tracks of

the RAN and Core Network;

• In terms of spectrum access, 5G is expected to cover licensed access, as well as dynamically licensed

shared and unlicensed spectrum usage (including both Wi-Fi and LTE in unlicensed spectrum), thus being

cheaper than today’s fully licensed mobile networks;

• Extreme densification (with the use of so called Ultra Dense Networks, where the ISD can be as low as 10-

50meters) and unplanned deployments is also one of the considered track for 5G, further improving the

capacity of the network;

• One of the 5G requirements is to create a flexible, scalable and software based system. The Software

Defined Networking (SDN) with Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) concepts fits very well here, where

many network functions can be deployed on CoTS hardware, thus should be cheaper than the current

proprietary, hardware-based 2G-4G technologies;

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• Native SON is one of the assumptions for 5G. That should enable fast evolution of the network capacity

when/where needed using automated mechanisms.

• As suggested by the NGMN requirements and followed by ITU-R, 5G should address multitude of use cases

among which there are “50+Mbps everywhere” and “Ultra-low-cost networks”, addressing specifically wide-

area coverage and rural areas (of course these are still subject to final refining and prioritization within

standardization bodies);

If we now take all the above into account, it can be projected (but as said in the beginning, at this point we only can

speculate) that 5G will become an alternative to “fixed” access. In fact, this is one of the drivers pushing towards

new generation, i.e. to compete with the fixed networks (i.e. “free” Wi-Fi). The reason being that operators nowadays

are struggling to get profits, due to carrying less and less traffic via mobile networks, because of the traffic being

transferred over Wi-Fi.

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Summary

5G is still shaping and its final form is a matter of multiple discussions and standardization meetings. Some of the

features however, are quite likely to see the daylight. It’s important to know what is going on in this aspect and be

ready for when the time of 5G will come.

In this Guidepaper we summarized some of the features and possibilities of 5G networks starting from explanation

of the most important phrases as millimeter Wave, Massive MIMO or Software Defined Networking. Those

buzzwords are now everywhere and it’s good to know what they are about.

5G brings novelty on the core network side – with the greater modularity of the network function, network slicing

can be very efficient feature. By having extra flexible network, we can optimize it and even share between multiple

operators. Moreover, the satellite systems can help 5G to be a really ubiquitous system acting as a complementary

connectivity to the cellular mobile infrastructure, where cellular networks are very good in dense areas and can be

deployed to provide indoor coverage where the satellite systems cannot reach due to penetration losses and large

pathloss. Satellite systems can also provide coverage over the large remote areas that are uncovered by cellular

systems due to cost or reachability reasons and/or upon cellular terrestrial systems failures (e.g. upon disaster /

earthquake).

As energy efficiency is more and more important in the mobile networks to decrease the capital and operational

expenditures of the operators, the presented techniques may deliver a promising combination to utilize the network

in more efficient ways, such as a shared network of densely deployed small cells and dynamic sleep modes with

a lean carrier or by applying the following principle: transmit only when needed, as fast as possible, utilizing large

spectrum, focus the energy with directive antennas and go to sleep as fast as possible.

Having all these nice features, 5G can become a solid alternative to the fixed networks, such as Wi-Fi. Can such

scenario be real? There is no other way to find out but to follow the news and research on 5G, so STAY CONNECTED!

Note: This Guidepaper is based on our entries at Grandmetric blog.

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Glossary

3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

5G 5th Generation

5G-AN 5G Access Network

5GC 5G Core Network

5GS 5G System

AF Application Function

AMBR Adaptive Modulation and Bandwidth Radio

AMF Access and Mobility Management Function

AUSF Authentication Server Function

CA Carrier Aggregation

CBRS Citizens Broadband Radio Service

CC Component Carrier

CN Core Network

CoTS Commercial Off-The-Shelf

CP Control Plane

CPE Customer Premises Equipment

D2D Device to Device

DL Downlink

DN Data Network

EE Energy Efficiency

eLAA Enhanced Licensed Assisted Access

eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband

EPS Evolved Packet System

ETSI European Telecommunications Standards Institute

FCC Federal Communications Commission

HetNets Heterogeneous Networks

HMD Head Mounted Displays

IMT International Mobile Telecommunications

IoT Internet of Things

ISD Inter Site Distance

ITU-R International Telecommunication Union – Radiocommunication Sector

KPI Key Performance Indicator

LAA Licensed Assisted Access

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MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output

MME Mobility Management Entity

MMIMO Massive MIMO

mMTC Massive Machine Type Communications

mmW millimeter Wave

MNO Mobile Network Operator

MTC Machine Type Communication

NB-IoT Narrowband IoT

NEF Network Exposure Function

NF Network Function

NFV Network Functions Virtualization

NLOS Non-line-of-sight

NR New Radio

NRF NF Repository Function

NSA Non-standalone

NWDA Network Data Analytics

OA&M Operation, Administration and Management

PCell Primary Cell

PCF Policy Control Function

PHY Physical Layer

QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation

QCI QoS Class Identifier

QoS Quality of Service

RAN Radio Access Network

RAT Radio Access Technology

Rel Release

RF Radio Frequency

Rx Receiver

SA Standalone

SCell Secondary Cell

SDN Software Defined Networking

SDSF Structured Data Storage Network Function

SI Study Item

SMF Session Management Function

SON Self-Organized Networks

SRVCC Single Radio-Voice Call Continuity

TDD Time Division Duplex

TTI Transmission Time Interval

TV Television

Tx Transmitter

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UAI Unified Air Interference

UDC Uplink Data Compression

UDM Unified Data Management

UDN Ultra-Dense Networks

UDSF Unstructured Data Storage Network Function

UE User Equipment

UL Uplink

UP User Plane

UPF User Plane Function

URLLC Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications

V2X Vehicular-to-Anything

VoLTE Voice over LTE

Wi-Fi Wireless Fidelity

WRC World Radiocommunication Conference

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References

[1] 5G-NR workplan for eMBB

[2] R2-161747 Discussion on uplink data compression

[3] 3GPP TS 23.501 V0.4.0 (2017-04)

[4] “The role of satellites in 5G”, B. Evans, et al., EUSPICO 2015

[5] 3GPP RP-161990 - Satellite in New Radio Access Technologies

[6] Recommendation ITU-R M.2083-0

[7] NGMN 5G Whitepaper

[8] 3GPP TR 38.913 (section 7.19)

[9] https://www.5g-academy.org/courses/towards-5g-online-course

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About the authors

Marcin Dryjanski received his M.Sc. degree in telecommunications from the

Poznan University of Technology in Poland in June 2008. During the past 10 years,

Marcin has served as R&D Engineer, Lead Researcher, R&D Consultant, Technical

Trainer and Technical Leader. He has been providing expert level courses on

LTE/LTE-Advanced for leading mobile operators and vendors. Marcin was a work-

package leader in EU-funded research projects aiming at radio interface design

for 5G including FP-7 5GNOW and FP-7 SOLDER. He co-authored several research

papers targeting LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G radio interface design, and is a co-

author of a book entitled "From LTE to LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G", (M. Rahnema,

M. Dryjanski, Artech House 2017). Marcin is the co-founder of Grandmetric,

heading the field of mobile wireless systems. In this role, Marcin provides

consulting services and training courses on LTE and 5G related topics. Marcin is

also a trainer at 5G-Courses.com. To contact Marcin, please write to:

marcin.dryjanski@grandmetric.com

Mateusz Buczkowski received his M.Sc. degree from Poznan University of

Technology in 2012. Since then he is employed at the Chair of Telecommunication

Systems and Optoelectronics in the Faculty of Electronics and

Telecommunications as a teaching assistant. He is pursuing his PhD in field of

image processing. His research interest covers the wide spectrum of image and

video processing. In particular, he is interested in image quality assessment,

which is his PhD topic. As a R&D engineer he took part in two FP7 EU projects,

namely 5GNOW and SOLDER, where he worked on solutions that can be used in

5-th Generation wireless networks, which is to come in 2020. In Grandmetric he is

involved in wireless systems research. To contact Mateusz, please write to:

mateusz.buczkowski@grandmetric.com

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Additional Resources

LTE -Advanced Pro – A Short Excursion This Guidepaper starts with the features covered under the umbrella of LTE-Advanced Pro and is divided into the

ones standardized within Rel-13 and Rel-14. Further enhancements are also shortlisted and outlined in taking LTE-

Advanced Pro to Rel-15. Next chapters elaborate some of the features in more details including: the integration of

LTE-Advanced Pro with WiFi at the RAN level, LTE interface version for unlicensed spectrum access (Licensed

Assisted Access), and LTE feature for massive MTC, namely Narrowband-IoT.

From LTE to LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G This book examines the features of LTE-Advanced and LTE-Advanced Pro and how they integrate into existing LTE

networks. Professionals find in- depth coverage of how the air interface is structured at the physical layer and how

the related link level protocols are designed and work.

5G-PPP Projects - A Trip Through the European Research Towards 5G This Guidepaper gives an overview of the 5G research activity that has taken place within the EU funded projects

over the past several years and the projects that are still running and their objectives.

Grandmetric Knowledge Base A significant part of our work is related to carry out research on the latest technological developments. Based on

our research we publish articles, books, presentations and whitepapers. You can read, download or buy one,

depending on its type.

Grandmetric Blog The blog is a place where you can follow IP and Mobile trends. With the posts related on the current events you can

always stay up to date. Moreover, the Explained section provides an insight into the technology we use.

See more

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About “Towards 5G: Research and Standardization” Course

Grandmetric co-authors the “Towards 5G – Research and Standardization” online course that is available at 5G-

courses.com platform.

The “Towards 5G – Research and Standardization” course allows you to get in-depth knowledge on the latest 5G

Air Interface and software defined architecture, with latest updates on 5G R&D projects and 3GPP standardization

process.

Learning Outcomes

• Understanding of the overall 5G ecosystem and individual building blocks

• Be aware of the 5G research, development and standardization roadmaps

• Knowledge on the 5G applicability in the variety of use cases

• Awareness of the latest research projects and research status

• Insights to the 3GPP standardization process

• Awareness of the latest 5G standardization developments

• Knowledge of the technologies for 5G air interface and architecture

To read more and enroll, visit: "Towards 5G: Research-and-Standardization" Course

We are pleased to offer you a special discount of 25% off the single license. To get the discount, use the promo

code: GRANDMETRIC

promo code: GRANDMETRIC

NETWORK & WIRELESS... STAY CONNECTED.

info@grandmetric.com

www.grandmetric.com Poznan | Poland | Europe

Grandmetric is an R&D and training company specializing in Next Generation Networks along with Wireless

Systems based in Poznan, Poland. Our latest research is focused on 5G, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Network

Security. We actively conduct technology trainings, are engaged in developing latest systems, and consulting

network designs.

Shall you have any enquiries or to schedule a meeting with us, please write at: info@grandmetric.com

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