The deployment of 5G networks will necessarily involve the installation of new base station (BS) equipment to support the requirements of next-generation mobile services. In a scenario where there exist already many sources of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), including overlapping 2G/3G/4G technologies of competing network operators, there is a growing concern that the planning of a 5G network will be severely constrained by the limits on maximum EMF levels established in a wide set of regulations. The goal of this paper is to shed light on EMF-aware 5G network planning and, in particular, on the problem of site selection for 5G BS equipment that abides by downlink EMF limits. To this end, we present the current state of the art in EMF-aware mobile networking and overview the current exposure limits and how the EMF constraints may impact 5G planning. We then substantiate our analysis by reporting on two realistic case studies, which demonstrate the saturation of EMF levels already occurring under current 2G/3G/4G networks, as well as the negative impact of strict regulations on network planning and user quality of service. Finally, we discuss the expected impact of 5G technologies in terms of EMFs and draw the guidelines for an EMF-aware planning of 5G. Our analysis suggests that the EMF-aware 5G planning risks to be a real challenge for network operators, which stimulates further actions at governmental, societal, technological, and research levels.

Planning 5G Networks Under EMF Constraints: State of the Art and Vision

Nowadays, at least two billion people are experiencing a complete lack of wireless cellular network coverage. These users live in rural areas and low-income regions, where network operators are not keen to invest, mainly due to high capital expenditure and operational expenditure costs, as well as the scarcity of electricity from the grid. We tackle this challenge by proposing a 5G network explicitly designed to serve rural and low-income areas. Our solution investigates the possibility of mounting remote radio heads on top of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as large cells (LCs) to increase the coverage range. In addition, 5G nodes are powered by solar panels and batteries. Preliminary results, obtained over three representative case studies located in Italy, Cook Islands, and Zimbabwe, show that providing connectivity in rural and low-income areas by means of the proposed 5G architecture is feasible. At the same time, we also show that the monthly subscription fee paid by the users can be kept sufficiently low, that is, less than €1/month in low-income areas, and around €11/month in rural regions.

Bringing 5G into Rural and Low-Income Areas: Is It Feasible?

Challenged Networks (CNs) are characterized by frequent varying network conditions and intermittent connectivity. In general, CNs emerge in different scenarios including the disaster and emergency situations when the traditional cellular infrastructure is dysfunctional or unavailable as well as in the undeserved areas such as rural and developing regions. This paper aims to evaluate the performance of a mobile edge infrastructure adopting Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for CN scenarios. Specifically, we assume that the UAVs can host micro Base Stations (BSs) and edge computing resources, which can be dynamically moved over the zones where the terrestrial mobile network is not properly working. After presenting the proposed UAV-mounted edge architecture, we propose a simple model to evaluate the performance in terms of coverage to users. Our preliminary results show that the UAV-based mobile edge architecture can guarantee a good coverage to users, even if the number of traditional BSs that are not working correctly is large.

UAV-assisted edge infrastructure for challenged networks

Current trends in telecommunication networks foresee the adoption of the fifth generation (5G) of wireless networks in the near future. However, a large number of people are living without coverage and connectivity. To face this issue, we consider the possibility of deploying 5G networks in rural and low-income zones. After detailing the current state-of-the-art, we consider the main challenges that need to be faced. Moreover, we define the main pillars to follow in order to deploy 5G networks in such zones, as well as a proposal of a future network architecture.

/pdf/5g-in-rural-and-low-income-areas-are-we-ready-3u5gv6ddxg.pdf

5G in rural and low-income areas: Are we ready?

This paper focuses on the design and deployment of a virtualized evaluation testbed, solely based on open-source software components to support the full extend of features and functional requirements of dominant architectural concepts of 5G, such as Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC). For meeting the elevated standards of performance and versatility set by existing 5G architectural approaches, we introduce a perplexed, yet fully customizable platform, capable of supporting all prerequisites of contemporary deployments, paired with backwards compatibility of pre-existing applications and workflows through specific component integration. However, the most important contribution of the proposed architectural blueprint is that alleviates the thorny issues of rapid service instantiation demand and increased networking performance requirements, by supporting both container and virtual machine (VM) orchestration. By extending its cornerstone element, Kuryr to leverage certain Openstack networking attributes, use ManageIQ as the orchestration module for containers as well as VMs, and align to the principles of both NFV and MEC, the proposed evaluation testbed is considered a solid candidate platform for conducting real-world solution testing, without the licensing premium.

On the Deployment of an Open-Source, 5G-Aware Evaluation Testbed

We propose the innovative architecture of Superfluidity, a Horizon 2020 project, co-funded by the European Union. Superfluidity targets 5G networks, by addressing key network operator challenges with a multi-pronged approach, based on the concept of a flexible, highly adaptive, superfluid network. Superfluidity supports rapid service deployment and migration in a heterogeneous network environment, regardless of the underlying hardware. The overall proposal offers advanced capabilities in terms of service deployment and interoperability, while guaranteeing high-performance levels end-to-end. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Superfluidity: a flexible functional architecture for 5G networks

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Superfluidity: a flexible functional architecture for 5G networks