Licensed spectrum remains 3GPP operators’ top priority to deliver
advanced SERvices and user experience
Opportunistic use of unlicensed spectrum is becoming an important
complement for operators to meet the growing traffic demand
Moving forward 3GPP operators will have two options to offload
traffic to unlicensed spectrum:
1. Wi-Fi (via LTE/Wi-Fi interworking)
2. LTE over unlicensed
It will then be up to each individual operator to choose which
approach to use, which will depend on a number of factors
Communication between various devices makes it possible to pro-
vide unique and innovative SERvices. Although this interdevice com-
munication is a very powerful mechanism, it is also a complex and
clumsy mechanism, leading to a lot of complexity in present day
systems. This not only makes networking difficult but also limits
its flexibility.
Relaying techniques, in which a source node communicates to a destination node
with the help of a relay, have been proposed as a cost-effective solution to address
the increasing demand for high data rates and reliable SERvices over the air. As
such, it is crucial to design relay systems that are able to not only provide high
spectral efficiency, but also fully exploit the diversity of the relay channel.
Mobile communication devices like smart phones or tablet PCs enable us to
consume information at every location and at every time. The rapid development
of new applications and new SERvices and the demand to access data in real time
create an increasing throughput demand. The data have to be transmitted reliably
to ensure the desired quality of service. Furthermore, an improved utilization of
the bandwidth is desired to reduce the cost of transmission.
The current methods of communications are becoming less relevant under
today’s growing demand for and reliance on constant connectivity. Of
decreasing relevance are the models of a single radio to perform a single
task. The expansion of wireless access points among coffee shops, airports,
malls, and other public arenas is opening up opportunities for new SERvices
and applications.
The telecommunications industry has seen a rapid boost within the last decade. New realities
and visions of functionalities in various telecommunications networks have brought forward the
concept of next-generation networks (NGNs). The competitions among operators for support-
ing various SERvices, lowering of the cost of having mobile and cellular phones and smartphones,
increasing demand for general mobility, explosion of digital traffic, and advent of convergence
network technologies added more dynamism in the idea of NGNs. In fact, facilitating con-
vergence of networks and convergence of various types of SERvices is a significant objective of
NGN
Since the telephone was invented in the late nineteenth century, there has been a
steady development of telephone SERvices, and the number of subscribers has con-
tinuously increased. One of the most revolutionary developments in telephone serv-
ice in the late twentieth century was the introduction of the cellular variety of
mobile phone SERvices.
Today’s wireless SERvices have come a long way since the roll out of the
conventional voice-centric cellular systems. The demand for wireless access
in voice and high rate data multi-media applications has been increasing.
New generation wireless communication systems are aimed at accommodating
this demand through better resource management and improved transmission
technologies.
Cognitive radio has emerged as a promising technology for maximizing the utiliza-
tion of the limited radio bandwidth while accommodating the increasing amount of
SERvices and applications in wireless networks. A cognitive radio (CR) transceiver
is able to adapt to the dynamic radio environment and the network parameters to
maximize the utilization of the limited radio resources while providing flexibility in
wireless access. The key features of a CR transceiver are awareness of the radio envi-
ronment (in terms of spectrum usage, power spectral density of transmitted/received
signals, wireless protocol signaling) and intelligence.
Over the past few decades, wireless communications and networking have witnessed an
unprecedented growth, and have become pervasive much sooner than anyone could have
predicted. For example, cellular wireless networks are expected to become the dominant
and ubiquitous telecommunication means in the next few decades. The widespread
success of cellular and WLAN systems prompts the development of advanced wireless
systems to provide access to information SERvices beyond voice such as telecommuting,
video conferencing, interactive media, real-time internet gaming, and so on, anytime
and anywhere.