5G Radio Access above 6 GHz

TL;DR

This paper discusses the development of 5G millimetre-wave radio access technology above 6 GHz, focusing on network architecture and functions to support high-speed, immersive mobile services.

Contribution

It introduces architectural and functional elements for integrating mmWave technology into 5G RAN, laying groundwork for future commercial deployment.

Findings

Design of network slicing and multiconnectivity for mmWave 5G

Functional frameworks for initial access and mobility management

Foundational concepts for future 5G mmWave deployment

Abstract

Designing and developing a millimetre-wave(mmWave) based mobile Radio Access Technology (RAT) in the 6-100 GHz frequency range is a fundamental component in the standardization of the new 5G radio interface, recently kicked off by 3GPP. Such component, herein called the new mmWave RAT, will not only enable extreme mobile broadband (eMBB) services,but also support UHD/3D streaming, offer immersive applications and ultra-responsive cloud services to provide an outstanding Quality of Experience (QoE) to the mobile users. The main objective of this paper is to develop the network architectural elements and functions that will enable tight integration of mmWave technology into the overall 5G radio access network (RAN). A broad range of topics addressing mobile architecture and network functionalities will be covered-starting with the architectural facets of network slicing, multiconnectivity and cells clustering, to more functional elements of initial access, mobility, radio resource management (RRM) and self-backhauling. The intention of the concepts presented here is to lay foundation for future studies towards the first commercial implementation of the mmWave RAT above 6 GHz.