How Much of Wireless Rate Can Smartphones Support in 5G Networks?

TL;DR

This paper investigates the maximum wireless data rate smartphones can support in 5G networks, considering thermal and computational limits, and discusses its impact on adaptive transmission schemes.

Contribution

It proposes a theoretical maximum receiving rate for smartphones in 5G based on thermodynamic principles and analyzes its effect on transmission schemes.

Findings

Smartphones may not keep pace with future 5G downlink rates.

The maximum receiving rate is constrained by thermal and computational factors.

Adaptive schemes must consider smartphone limitations for optimal performance.

Abstract

Due to the higher wireless transmission rates in the fifth generation (5G) cellular networks, higher computation overhead is incurred in smartphones, which can cause the wireless transmission rates to be limited by the computation capability of wireless terminals. In this case, is there a maximum receiving rate for smartphones to maintain stable wireless communications in 5G cellular networks? The main objective of this article is to investigate the maximum receiving rate of smartphones and its influence on 5G cellular networks. Based on Landauer's principle and the safe temperature bound on the smartphone surface, a maximum receiving rate of the smartphone is proposed for 5G cellular networks. Moreover, the impact of the maximum receiving rate of smartphones on the link adaptive transmission schemes has been investigated. Numerical analyses imply that the maximum receiving rate of smartphones cannot always catch up with the downlink rates of future 5G cellular networks. Therefore, the link adaptive transmission scheme for future 5G cellular networks has to take the maximum receiving rate of smartphones into account.