Search

In this paper, we propose a method for video ads dissemination through a hybrid network consisting of WiFi and cellular networks, in order to provide timely delivery of video ads with preferred content to users according to the users' contexts. In recent years, video download/streaming services for cellular phones have already become popular. Among various video delivery services, a service for disseminating video ads according to the users' contexts is expected to achieve high advertising effects. However, context-aware video ads dissemination will consume large bandwidth since the size of video ad is rather large and the same ad is required at different time from various users. We propose a new video ads dissemination method for mobile terminals which utilizes both WiFi and cellular networks. In the proposed method, a file of video ad is divided into pieces and each node exchanges the pieces with neighbor nodes using WiFi ad hoc communication so that the usage of cellular network is reduced. In order to make the method works effectively for a large number of nodes, we propose an algorithm where mobile nodes autonomously and probabilistically decide their actions without a central control. Through simulations, we confirmed that our method reduces cellular network usage by about 93% compared with a case that all nodes download video ads via cellular network, and works effectively in cases with a large number of nodes and high mobility., PerCom2009 : The Seventh Annual IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications , Mar 16-20, 2009 , Dallas, TX, USA

In this paper we consider joint beamforming of data to scheduled terminals (STs) and broadcast of system information (SI) to idle terminals (ITs) on the same time-frequency resource in multi-cell multi-user massive MIMO systems. We propose two different multi-cell approaches to the broadcast of SI, i) synchronous broadcast of same SI symbols from all cells (SAME-SI), and ii) synchronous broadcast of statistically independent SI symbols from each cell (DIFF-SI). We also consider the traditional orthogonal access (OA) approach where a fraction of physical resource is reserved for broadcast of SI. Through analysis and simulations, it is observed that for both SAME-SI and DIFF-SI, joint beamforming and broadcasting (JBB) is more energy efficient than OA., This work is supported by the EMR funding from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India.

Providing reliable internet connectivity to train passengers can be handled with onboard aggregation routers that use multiple external antennas to simultaneously convey user traffic over multiple links. This work studies the operational characteristics of a large-scale deployment of such a system. The examination focuses on how train velocity is associated with achieved link throughput, and how various interaction effects influence the relationship. A large data set collected over three years is analyzed, indicating that there is a systematic association between train velocity and link throughput that varies over the radio conditions and which is also linked to differences between operators., QC 20200527

This paper studies the problem of max-min fairness power allocation in distributed small cell networks operated under the same frequency bandwidth. We introduce a calibrated learning enhanced time division multiple access scheme to optimize the transmit power decisions at the small base stations (SBSs) and achieve max-min user fairness in the long run. Provided that the SBSs are autonomous decision makers, the aim of the proposed algorithm is to allow SBSs to gradually improve their forecast of the possible transmit power levels of the other SBSs and react with the best response based on the predicted results at individual time slots. Simulation results validate that in terms of achieving max-min signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, the proposed distributed design outperforms two benchmark schemes and achieves a similar performance as compared to the optimal centralized design.

This paper studies the problem of max-min fairness power allocation in distributed small cell networks operated under the same frequency bandwidth. We introduce a calibrated learning enhanced time division multiple access scheme to optimize the transmit power decisions at the small base stations (SBSs) and achieve max-min user fairness in the long run. Provided that the SBSs are autonomous decision makers, the aim of the proposed algorithm is to allow SBSs to gradually improve their forecast of the possible transmit power levels of the other SBSs and react with the best response based on the predicted results at individual time slots. Simulation results validate that in terms of achieving max-min signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, the proposed distributed design outperforms two benchmark schemes and achieves a similar performance as compared to the optimal centralized design.

© 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works., Visible light communication (VLC) is a promising communication technology that paves the way to the Internet of Things. The forthcoming Industry 4.0 requires reliable high-speed communication links, which can be easily fulfilled with the massive adoption of the VLC technology. However, in VLC indoor communication environments, line-of-sight link blockages and strong misalignment losses between the light-emitting diode (LED) transmitters and the photodiode (PD) receivers are usual problems that must be tackled. This paper proposes a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) transmission technique to deal with both issues, and carries out a detailed evaluation of the VLC system performance as function of the PD receiver orientation and the density of obstacles in different scenarios. The proposed cooperative transmission scheme demonstrates an improvement in the average cell data rate and outage probability performance and, as a consequence, justifies the use of CoMP techniques to provide reliable VLC services in ultra-dense small cell scenarios indoors., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

© 2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works., Stringent demands for a continuous evolution of cellular networks push today academic and industrial researchers to re-think backhaul solutions for 5G. In one hand, wireless backhaul solutions are cost effective and easy to deploy but suffer from limited capacity. On the other hand, wired solutions have the potential to meet bandwidth requirements but usually involve higher costs. Thus, adoption of heterogeneous technologies will be necessary. Moreover, in 5G, access and backhaul networks will work closely, and therefore, total separation of their resources may not be possible anymore; rather, cooperation between the two portions of the cellular network is desirable. Subsequently, cooperative access-backhaul mechanisms become necessary to ensure the best use of the scarce resources, i.e. bandwidth. Hence, in this paper we present the idea of spectrum sharing among different links from a cooperative access-backhaul mechanism point of view. We present simulation results for different approaches of such sharing from a common spectrum pool. The results show that traffic-aware approaches show increased fairness thus reinforcing the idea of cooperative access-backhaul mechanisms as essential strategies in current and future networks., Postprint (published version)

Access to reliable high-quality communication services on trains is important for today's mobile users. Train-mounted aggregation routers that provide WiFi access to train passengers and bundle external communication over multiple cellular modems/links is an efficient way of providing such services. Still, the characteristics of such systems have received limited attention in the literature. In this paper we examine the communication characteristics of such systems based on a large data set gathered over six months from an operational Swedish railway system. We characterize the conditions in terms of usage load, train velocity profiles, and observed throughput and delay as well as the relation between these parameters. Furthermore, we examine the data from an anomaly detection perspective. Based on a changepoint detection method, we examine how the collected metrics varies over the six months. Being able to detect shifts in the metrics over time can help detect anomalous changes in the hardware or environment, and also further helps explain the factors affecting the observed behaviors., HITS

This paper studies the sum data rate that a Visible Light Communication (VLC) system with multiple users canachieve when phosphor-converted white LED panels are usedto provide illumination and communication simultaneously. Three different transmission schemes based on Asymmetrically Clipped Optical Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing(ACO-OFDM) are considered to allocate the communicationresources in each transmission point: Frequency Reuse (FR),Joint Transmission Coordinated Multi-Point (JT-CoMP), and a Hybrid combination of them. Since phosphor-converted whiteLEDs have a larger modulation bandwidth for blue opticalwavelengths rather than green-yellow-red ones, the performanceof each transmission method is also evaluated using a visibleand/or blue light optical filter in front of the Photodetector (PD).When the transmission points apply FR, strong inter-cell inter-ference results in high variability of the achievable data rateat different locations. On the other hand, when JT-CoMP isapplied, a more homogeneous data rate coverage is achieved,reducing the peak data rate in the inner parts of the cells butimproving notably the data rate in cell-edge areas., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

As mobile data usage increases dramatically, new architectures and technologies for wireless communication are required. Next generation of mobile networks are expected to be augmented by a massive amount of small cells that will be densely deployed. In order to connect the small cells, new high capacity wireless backhauling technologies are required. A promising solution is to use frequencies in the mmWave band, which allows for much greater capacity due to the massive amount of free spectrum. However, the special characteristics of the mmWave bands such as high path loss and atmospheric absorption lead to unstable links. In this paper, we investigate using Software Defined Networking principles for the operation and control of wireless backhaul networks. We demonstrate how SDN resiliency mechanisms can be used to mitigate disruptive connectivity due to mmWave links frequently failing. For assisting the small cell backhauling, we propose to also use the LTE uplinks of the small cells as backup links, should the mmWave mesh forwarding link break. Our experiments using a network emulator show that using SDN-based local repair mechanisms can significantly reduce the packet loss rate inside the mmWave backhaul mesh, which can be further reduced with an LTE assisted Failover.

Access to reliable high-quality communication services on trains is important for today's mobile users. Train-mounted aggregation routers that provide WiFi access to train passengers and bundle external communication over multiple cellular modems/links is an efficient way of providing such services. Still, the characteristics of such systems have received limited attention in the literature. In this paper we examine the communication characteristics of such systems based on a large data set gathered over six months from an operational Swedish railway system. We characterize the conditions in terms of usage load, train velocity profiles, and observed throughput and delay as well as the relation between these parameters. Furthermore, we examine the data from an anomaly detection perspective. Based on a changepoint detection method, we examine how the collected metrics varies over the six months. Being able to detect shifts in the metrics over time can help detect anomalous changes in the hardware or environment, and also further helps explain the factors affecting the observed behaviors., HITS

Access to reliable high-quality communication services on trains is important for today's mobile users. Train-mounted aggregation routers that provide WiFi access to train passengers and bundle external communication over multiple cellular modems/links is an efficient way of providing such services. Still, the characteristics of such systems have received limited attention in the literature. In this paper we examine the communication characteristics of such systems based on a large data set gathered over six months from an operational Swedish railway system. We characterize the conditions in terms of usage load, train velocity profiles, and observed throughput and delay as well as the relation between these parameters. Furthermore, we examine the data from an anomaly detection perspective. Based on a changepoint detection method, we examine how the collected metrics varies over the six months. Being able to detect shifts in the metrics over time can help detect anomalous changes in the hardware or environment, and also further helps explain the factors affecting the observed behaviors., HITS

Access to reliable high-quality communication services on trains is important for today's mobile users. Train-mounted aggregation routers that provide WiFi access to train passengers and bundle external communication over multiple cellular modems/links is an efficient way of providing such services. Still, the characteristics of such systems have received limited attention in the literature. In this paper we examine the communication characteristics of such systems based on a large data set gathered over six months from an operational Swedish railway system. We characterize the conditions in terms of usage load, train velocity profiles, and observed throughput and delay as well as the relation between these parameters. Furthermore, we examine the data from an anomaly detection perspective. Based on a changepoint detection method, we examine how the collected metrics varies over the six months. Being able to detect shifts in the metrics over time can help detect anomalous changes in the hardware or environment, and also further helps explain the factors affecting the observed behaviors., HITS

To get a better understanding of people’s mobility, cellular network signalling data including location information, is a promising large-scale data source. In order to estimate travel demand and infrastructure usage from the data, it is necessary to identify the trips users make. We present two trip extraction methods and compare their performance using a small dataset collected in Sweden. The trips extracted are compared with GPS tracks collected on the same mobiles. Despite the much lower location sampling rate in the cellular network signalling data, we are able to detect most of the trips found from GPS data. This is promising, given the relative simplicity of the algorithms. However, further investigation is necessary using a larger dataset and more types of algorithms. By applying the same methods to a second dataset for Senegal with much lower sampling rate than the Sweden dataset, we show that the choice of the trip extraction method tends to be even more important when the sampling rate is low., MOFT

Access to reliable high-quality communication services on trains is important for today's mobile users. Train-mounted aggregation routers that provide WiFi access to train passengers and bundle external communication over multiple cellular modems/links is an efficient way of providing such services. Still, the characteristics of such systems have received limited attention in the literature. In this paper we examine the communication characteristics of such systems based on a large data set gathered over six months from an operational Swedish railway system. We characterize the conditions in terms of usage load, train velocity profiles, and observed throughput and delay as well as the relation between these parameters. Furthermore, we examine the data from an anomaly detection perspective. Based on a changepoint detection method, we examine how the collected metrics varies over the six months. Being able to detect shifts in the metrics over time can help detect anomalous changes in the hardware or environment, and also further helps explain the factors affecting the observed behaviors., HITS

Fifth generation (5G) wireless networks will target at energy and spectrum efficient solutions to cope with the increasing demands in capacity and energy efficiency. To achieve this joint goal, dense networks of small cells (SCs) are expected to overlay the existing macro cells. In parallel, for the SC connection to the core network, a promising solution lies in a mesh network of high capacity millimeter wave backhaul (BH) links. In the considered 5G architecture, each SC is able to forward its BH traffic to the core network through alternative paths, thus offering high BH network reliability. In this context, the joint problem of user association and BH routing becomes challenging. In this paper, we focus on this problem targeting at energy and spectrum efficient solutions. A low-complexity algorithm is proposed, which bases its user association and BH routing decision i) on minimizing the spectrum resources to guarantee the user rate, so as to provide high spectrum efficiency, and ii) on minimizing both the access network and BH route power consumption to provide high energy efficiency. Our results show that our solution provides better trade-offs between energy and spectrum efficiency than the state-of-the-art in 3GPP scenarios., SOCRA (4840)

Multi-tenancy allows diverse agents sharing the infrastructure in the 5th generation of mobile networks. Such a feature calls for more automated and faster planning procedures in order to adapt the network capacity to the varying traffic demand. To achieve these goals, Small Cells offer network providers more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solutions compared to macrocell deployments. This paper proposes a novel framework for cell planning in multi-tenant Small Cell networks. In this framework, the tenant's contracted capacity is translated to a set of detailed planning specifications over time and space domains in order to efficiently update the network infrastructure and configuration. Based on this, an algorithm is proposed that considers different actions such as adding/removing channels and adding or relocating small cells. The proposed approach is evaluated considering the deployment of a new tenant, where different sets of planning specifications are tested., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

This paper evaluates different means of reducing power consumption of macro base stations (BS) and heterogeneous mobile network deployments (HetNet) considering the time dimension. These approaches are based on the same idea of reducing the load of heavily loaded macro cells and putting them to discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode during the time of inactivity by either (1) macro cell densification or (2) offloading traffic to small cells. Activity factor of a BS is defined as the fraction of time the BS is transmitting over a fixed time period. It is shown that by macro cell layer network densification, the average daily area power consumption can be reduced by up to 73 % with the use of cell DTX. However, reducing the activity factor by macro layer densification is not cost effective, as already demonstrated in previous studies. Alternatively, by adding small cells and enabling their DTX capability, power consumption can be reduced by up to 29 %. Adding small cells is especially effective in terms of energy savings, when users are distributed around hot spots, where additional coverage and capacity is required., QC 20161207

Beyond traditional telecom providers, citizens and organizations pool their own resources and coordinate in order to build local network infrastructures to address the digital divide in many parts of the world. These crowdsourced network infrastructures can be self-organized and shared by a community for the collective benefit of its members. Several of these networks have developed open, free, and neutral agreements, and are governed as a common-pool resource: community networks. These are built using a variety of commodity wireless hardware (e.g., Wi-Fi long-range point-to-point links, Wi-Fi and GSM access points, and mesh networks), sometimes optical fiber links, heterogeneous nodes, routing protocols, and applications. A group of researchers, developers, and community networks developed the Community-Lab testbed, and for the last five years have worked together to overcome obstacles, improve the technologies, tools, and operational models being used, as well as model best practices for more effective and sustainable community networks. This article presents the challenges for experimentation, the testbeds built, results, lessons learned, and the impact of that work to place wireless community networks as one sustainable way toward an Internet accessible to all., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

Recent years have witnessed a massive penetration of cellular systems in developing countries. However, isolated rural areas (sparsely inhabited by low-income population) have been disregarded because classical access and backhaul technologies do not ensure the return on investment. This article presents innovative techno-economical solutions to provide these areas with cellular voice and data services. We first analyze the general characteristics of isolated rural communities, and based on this information, low-cost solutions are designed for both access (using 3G access points) and backhaul networks (using non-carrier grade equipment as WiFi for long distances or WiMAX in non-licensed bands). Subsequently, a study of population-dependent income vs. costs is presented, and a new business model is proposed involving mobile network operators, rural operators, and infrastructure providers. In order to test these solutions, we have built two demonstration platforms in the Peruvian jungle that have allowed validation of the technical feasibility of the solution, verifying the business model assumptions and the scalability of the initiative., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (author's final draft)

In this manuscript, we present the main concepts of the 5G-PPP SESAME project dedicated to the implementation of Cloud-Enabled Small Cells (CESCs), able to support edge cloud computing in a multi-tenant, multiservice ecosystem. More particularly, we give a preview of the SESAME concept at the component/sub-system, system and operation level. At the component/sub-system level, we detail our plan to deploy multi-operator enabled small cells, enhanced with a virtualised execution platform for 5G. At the system level, we present the envisaged architecture to manage and control the cloud-enabled small cell infrastructure. Finally, at the operation level, we explain the potential advantages of adopting the SESAME concept on the 5G access networks., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The unique wide-scale geographical coverage offered by satellite networks, coupled with its inherent broadcast/multicast capabilities and highly reliable connectivity, anticipates new opportunities for the integration of the satellite component into the 5G ecosystem. One of the most compelling scenarios is mobile backhauling, where satellite capacity can be used to complement the terrestrial backhauling infrastructure, not only in hard to reach areas, but also for more efficient traffic delivery to radio access network (RAN) nodes, increased resiliency and better support for fast, temporary cell deployments and moving cells. In this context, this paper proposes a model for the analysis of capacity and traffic management strategies in hybrid satellite-terrestrial mobile backhauling networks that rely on Software Defined Networking (SDN) for fine-grained traffic steering. Numerical results are provided to assess the capacity gains that can be achieved when the satellite backhaul capacity is used for traffic overflow, taking into account the placement of the satellite capacity at different traffic aggregation levels and the spatial correlation of the traffic demand., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

This paper presents a vision of how the different management procedures of future Fifth Generation (5G) wireless networks can be built upon the pillar of artificial intelligence concepts. After a general description of a cellular network and its management functionalities, highlighting the trends towards automatization, the paper focuses on the particular case of extracting knowledge about the time domain traffic pattern of the cells deployed by an operator. A general methodology for supervised classification of this traffic pattern is presented and it is particularized in two applicability use cases. The first use case addresses the reduction of energy consumption in the cellular network by automatically identifying cells that are candidates to be switched-off when they serve low traffic. The second use case focuses on the spectrum planning and identifies the cells whose capacity can be boosted through additional unlicensed spectrum. In both cases the outcomes of different classification tools are assessed. This capability to automatically classify cells according to some expert guidance is fundamental in future networks, where an operator deploys tenths of thousands of cells, so manual intervention of the expert is unfeasible., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Mobile applications such as VoIP, (live) gaming, or video streaming have diverse QoS requirements ranging from low delay to high throughput. The optimization of the network quality experienced by end-users requires detailed knowledge of the expected network performance. Also, the achieved service quality is affected by a number of factors, including network operator and available technologies. However, most studies focusing on measuring the cellular network do not consider the performance implications of network configuration and management. To this end, this paper reports about an extensive data set of cellular network measurements, focused on analyzing root causes of mobile network performance variability. Measurements conducted over four weeks in a 4G cellular network in Germany show that management and configuration decisions have a substantial impact on the performance. Specifically, it is observed that the association of mobile devices to a Point of Presence (PoP) within the operator's network can influence the end-to-end RTT by a large extent. Given the collected data a model predicting the PoP assignment and its resulting RTT leveraging Markov Chain and machine learning approaches is developed. RTT increases of 58% to 73% compared to the optimum performance are observed in more than 57% of the measurements.

In this paper, the problem of resource allocation optimization is studied for a single-cell multiuser cognitive radio network in the presence of primary user networks. The spectral access of the cognitive radio network is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA). A joint bandwidth and power allocation is performed so that users' rate requirements are satisfied, and the integrity of primary user communication is preserved. In this work, two unique challenges are addressed. The first is the incorporation of primary user activity in the design of resource allocation technique, and the second is the limited hardware capabilities of cognitive terminals compared to those available at the cognitive base station. To address these problems, a novel resource allocation framework is proposed based on the bandwidth-power product minimization, which is an effective metric in evaluating the spectral resource consumption in a cognitive radio environment. The framework takes into consideration the challenges aforementioned. The results show significant enhancement in spectral efficiency by using our framework compared to classical power adaptive optimization using iterative waterfilling scheme., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Tactical computing includes all computations necessary to provide shared situational awareness among geographically dispersed forces in a digitally connected battlespace. Cloud computing, which builds on grid computing, service-oriented computing, and virtualization technologies, is an enabler for building the globally distributed system-of-systems necessary for accomplishing the ultimate goal of net-centric warfare. Moreover, secured and robust tactical communications are essential for the optimum use of cloud techniques to distribute data and processing over the tactical environment. This report presents two high-level use cases to understand how cloud computing can play a role in supporting spectrum management--an important component of tactical communications--and presents key challenges and possible approaches to address the challenges in making the cloud-based system timely, robust, trustworthy, and interoperable, as well as a means to validate and verify such systems., The original document contains color images.

Multicell joint processing has been proven to be very efficient in overcoming the interference-limited nature of the cellular paradigm. However, for reasons of practical implementation global multicell joint decoding is not feasible and thus clusters of cooperating Base Stations have to be considered. In this context, intercluster interference has to be mitigated in order to harvest the full potential of multicell joint processing. In this paper, interference alignment is investigated as a means of intercluster interference mitigation and its performance is compared to global multicell joint processing. Both scenarios are modelled and analyzed using the per-cell ergodic sum-rate capacity as a figure of merit. In this process, a number of theorems are derived for analytically expressing the asymptotic eigenvalue distributions of the channel covariance matrices. The analysis is based on principles from Free Probability theory and especially properties in the R and Stieltjes transform domain., QC 20120209

Control signaling strategies for scheduling information in cellular OFDM systems are studied. A single-cell multiuser system model is formulated that provides system capacity estimates accounting for the signaling overhead. Different scheduling granularities are considered, including the one used in the specifications for the 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE). A greedy scheduling method is assumed, where each resource is assigned to the user for which it can support the highest number of bits. The simulation results indicate that the cost of control signaling does not outweigh the scheduling gain, when compared with a simple round-robin scheme that does not need signaling of scheduling information. Furthermore, in the studied scenario, joint coding and signaling of scheduling information over all selected users is found to be superior to separate coding and signaling for each user. The results also indicate that the scheduling granularity used for LTE provides better performance than the full granularity., ©2009 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE. Jonas Eriksson, Reza Moosavi, Erik G. Larsson, Niklas Wiberg, Pål Frenger and Fredrik Gunnarsson, On Coding of Scheduling Information in OFDM, 2009, Proceedings of the 69th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC'09). http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/VETECS.2009.5073719

Control signaling strategies for scheduling information in cellular OFDM systems are studied. A single-cell multiuser system model is formulated that provides system capacity estimates accounting for the signaling overhead. Different scheduling granularities are considered, including the one used in the specifications for the 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE). A greedy scheduling method is assumed, where each resource is assigned to the user for which it can support the highest number of bits. The simulation results indicate that the cost of control signaling does not outweigh the scheduling gain, when compared with a simple round-robin scheme that does not need signaling of scheduling information. Furthermore, in the studied scenario, joint coding and signaling of scheduling information over all selected users is found to be superior to separate coding and signaling for each user. The results also indicate that the scheduling granularity used for LTE provides better performance than the full granularity., ©2009 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE. Jonas Eriksson, Reza Moosavi, Erik G. Larsson, Niklas Wiberg, Pål Frenger and Fredrik Gunnarsson, On Coding of Scheduling Information in OFDM, 2009, Proceedings of the 69th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC'09). http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/VETECS.2009.5073719

In this paper, we propose a method for video ads dissemination through a hybrid network consisting of WiFi and cellular networks, in order to provide timely delivery of video ads with preferred content to users according to the users' contexts. In recent years, video download/streaming services for cellular phones have already become popular. Among various video delivery services, a service for disseminating video ads according to the users' contexts is expected to achieve high advertising effects. However, context-aware video ads dissemination will consume large bandwidth since the size of video ad is rather large and the same ad is required at different time from various users. We propose a new video ads dissemination method for mobile terminals which utilizes both WiFi and cellular networks. In the proposed method, a file of video ad is divided into pieces and each node exchanges the pieces with neighbor nodes using WiFi ad hoc communication so that the usage of cellular network is reduced. In order to make the method works effectively for a large number of nodes, we propose an algorithm where mobile nodes autonomously and probabilistically decide their actions without a central control. Through simulations, we confirmed that our method reduces cellular network usage by about 93% compared with a case that all nodes download video ads via cellular network, and works effectively in cases with a large number of nodes and high mobility.

Control signaling strategies for scheduling information in cellular OFDM systems are studied. A single-cell multiuser system model is formulated that provides system capacity estimates accounting for the signaling overhead. Different scheduling granularities are considered, including the one used in the specifications for the 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE). A greedy scheduling method is assumed, where each resource is assigned to the user for which it can support the highest number of bits. The simulation results indicate that the cost of control signaling does not outweigh the scheduling gain, when compared with a simple round-robin scheme that does not need signaling of scheduling information. Furthermore, in the studied scenario, joint coding and signaling of scheduling information over all selected users is found to be superior to separate coding and signaling for each user. The results also indicate that the scheduling granularity used for LTE provides better performance than the full granularity., ©2009 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE. Jonas Eriksson, Reza Moosavi, Erik G. Larsson, Niklas Wiberg, Pål Frenger and Fredrik Gunnarsson, On Coding of Scheduling Information in OFDM, 2009, Proceedings of the 69th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC'09). http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/VETECS.2009.5073719

Control signaling strategies for scheduling information in cellular OFDM systems are studied. A single-cell multiuser system model is formulated that provides system capacity estimates accounting for the signaling overhead. Different scheduling granularities are considered, including the one used in the specifications for the 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE). A greedy scheduling method is assumed, where each resource is assigned to the user for which it can support the highest number of bits. The simulation results indicate that the cost of control signaling does not outweigh the scheduling gain, when compared with a simple round-robin scheme that does not need signaling of scheduling information. Furthermore, in the studied scenario, joint coding and signaling of scheduling information over all selected users is found to be superior to separate coding and signaling for each user. The results also indicate that the scheduling granularity used for LTE provides better performance than the full granularity., ©2009 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE. Jonas Eriksson, Reza Moosavi, Erik G. Larsson, Niklas Wiberg, Pål Frenger and Fredrik Gunnarsson, On Coding of Scheduling Information in OFDM, 2009, Proceedings of the 69th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC'09). http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/VETECS.2009.5073719

Control signaling strategies for scheduling information in cellular OFDM systems are studied. A single-cell multiuser system model is formulated that provides system capacity estimates accounting for the signaling overhead. Different scheduling granularities are considered, including the one used in the specifications for the 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE). A greedy scheduling method is assumed, where each resource is assigned to the user for which it can support the highest number of bits. The simulation results indicate that the cost of control signaling does not outweigh the scheduling gain, when compared with a simple round-robin scheme that does not need signaling of scheduling information. Furthermore, in the studied scenario, joint coding and signaling of scheduling information over all selected users is found to be superior to separate coding and signaling for each user. The results also indicate that the scheduling granularity used for LTE provides better performance than the full granularity., ©2009 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE. Jonas Eriksson, Reza Moosavi, Erik G. Larsson, Niklas Wiberg, Pål Frenger and Fredrik Gunnarsson, On Coding of Scheduling Information in OFDM, 2009, Proceedings of the 69th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC'09). http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/VETECS.2009.5073719

A main challenge in mobile commerce is to make it possible for users to manage their transaction histories from both online e-commerce transactions and in-person transactions. Such histories are typically useful to build credit or to establish trust based on past transactions. In this paper we propose an approach to manage electronic receipts on cellular devices by assuring their secure and privacy-preserving usage. We provide a comprehensive notion of transactions history including both on-line transaction and in-person transactions. We apply cryptographic protocols, such as secret sharing and zero knowledge proofs, in a potentially vulnerable and constrained setting. Specifically, our approach supports flexible strategies based on Shamir's secret sharing to cater to different user requirements and architectural constraints. In addition, aggregate zero knowledge proofs are used to efficiently support proofs of various receipt attributes. We have implemented the system on Nokia NFC cellular phones and report in the paper performance evaluation results.

A main challenge in mobile commerce is to make it possible for users to manage their transaction histories from both online e-commerce transactions and in-person transactions. Such histories are typically useful to build credit or to establish trust based on past transactions. In this paper we propose an approach to manage electronic receipts on cellular devices by assuring their secure and privacy-preserving usage. We provide a comprehensive notion of transactions history including both on-line transaction and in-person transactions. We apply cryptographic protocols, such as secret sharing and zero knowledge proofs, in a potentially vulnerable and constrained setting. Specifically, our approach supports flexible strategies based on Shamir's secret sharing to cater to different user requirements and architectural constraints. In addition, aggregate zero knowledge proofs are used to efficiently support proofs of various receipt attributes. We have implemented the system on Nokia NFC cellular phones and report in the paper performance evaluation results.

A main challenge in mobile commerce is to make it possible for users to manage their transaction histories from both online e-commerce transactions and in-person transactions. Such histories are typically useful to build credit or to establish trust based on past transactions. In this paper we propose an approach to manage electronic receipts on cellular devices by assuring their secure and privacy-preserving usage. We provide a comprehensive notion of transactions history including both on-line transaction and in-person transactions. We apply cryptographic protocols, such as secret sharing and zero knowledge proofs, in a potentially vulnerable and constrained setting. Specifically, our approach supports flexible strategies based on Shamir's secret sharing to cater to different user requirements and architectural constraints. In addition, aggregate zero knowledge proofs are used to efficiently support proofs of various receipt attributes. We have implemented the system on Nokia NFC cellular phones and report in the paper performance evaluation results.

In mobile cellular systems the handover is a very important process to maintain the desired Quality of Service (QoS). Many handover algorithms are proposed in the literature. However, to make a better handover and keep the QoS in wireless networks is very difficult. In this paper, by using random walk model and fuzzy theory we propose a new handover system. The proposed system uses 3 parameters for handoff decision: signal strength from the present Base Station (BS), signal strength from the neighbor BS, and the distance between Mobile Station (MS) and BS. The performance evaluation via simulations shows that proposed system can avoid ping-pong effect and has a good handover decision., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

A main challenge in mobile commerce is to make it possible for users to manage their transaction histories from both online e-commerce transactions and in-person transactions. Such histories are typically useful to build credit or to establish trust based on past transactions. In this paper we propose an approach to manage electronic receipts on cellular devices by assuring their secure and privacy-preserving usage. We provide a comprehensive notion of transactions history including both on-line transaction and in-person transactions. We apply cryptographic protocols, such as secret sharing and zero knowledge proofs, in a potentially vulnerable and constrained setting. Specifically, our approach supports flexible strategies based on Shamir's secret sharing to cater to different user requirements and architectural constraints. In addition, aggregate zero knowledge proofs are used to efficiently support proofs of various receipt attributes. We have implemented the system on Nokia NFC cellular phones and report in the paper performance evaluation results.

Many handover algorithms are proposed in the literature. However, to make a better handover and keep the QoS in wireless networks is very difficult. In this paper, we propose a new handover system based on fuzzy logic. The proposed system uses 3 parameters for handoff decision: the change of signal strength of the present Base Station (BS), signal strength from the neighbor BS, and the distance between Mobile Station (MS) and BS. The performance evaluation via simulations shows that proposed system can avoid ping-pong effect and has a good handover decision, Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The wide spread use of cellular phones, handheld devices, and GPS-like technology enables location-aware environments where virtually all objects are aware of their locations. Such environments call for new query processing techniques that deal with the continuous movement of both spatio-temporal objects and queries. The goal of this tutorial is to: (1) Give an in-depth view on supporting location-aware queries as an increasingly interesting area of research, (2) Present the state-of-the-art techniques for efficient handling of location-aware snapshot/continuous queries, and (3) Motivate the need for integrating location-awareness as a new query processing and optimization dimension, and (4) Raise several research challenges that need to be addressed towards a true support for location-aware queries in database management systems.

The wide spread use of cellular phones, handheld devices, and GPS-like technology enables location-aware environments where virtually all objects are aware of their locations. Such environments call for new query processing techniques that deal with the continuous movement of both spatio-temporal objects and queries. The goal of this tutorial is to: (1) Give an in-depth view on supporting location-aware queries as an increasingly interesting area of research, (2) Present the state-of-the-art techniques for efficient handling of location-aware snapshot/continuous queries, and (3) Motivate the need for integrating location-awareness as a new query processing and optimization dimension, and (4) Raise several research challenges that need to be addressed towards a true support for location-aware queries in database management systems.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of the metallic structures of a realistic car body frame on the specific absorption rate (SAR) produced by a cell phone when a complete human body model is placed at different locations inside the vehicle, and to identify the relevant parameters responsible for these changes. The modeling and analysis of the whole system was conducted by means of computer simulations based on the full wave finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical method. The excitation considered was an 835 MHz 2 dipole located as a handsfree communication device or as a hand-held portable system. We compared the SAR at different planes on the human model, placed inside the vehicle with respect to the free space situation. The presence of the car body frame significantly changes the SAR distributions, especially when the dipole is far from the body. Although the results are not conclusive on this point, this change in SAR distribution is not likely to produce an increase above the limits in current guidelines for partial body exposure, but may be signifi- cant for whole-body exposure. The most relevant change found was the change in the impedance of the dipole, affecting the radiated power. A complementary result from the electromagnetic computations performed is the change in the electromagnetic field distribution inside a vehicle when human bodies are present. The whole vehicle model has been optimized to provide accurate results for sources placed inside the vehicle, while keeping low requirements for computer storage and simulation time., Peer Reviewed

The wide spread use of cellular phones, handheld devices, and GPS-like technology enables location-aware environments where virtually all objects are aware of their locations. Such environments call for new query processing techniques that deal with the continuous movement of both spatio-temporal objects and queries. The goal of this tutorial is to: (1) Give an in-depth view on supporting location-aware queries as an increasingly interesting area of research, (2) Present the state-of-the-art techniques for efficient handling of location-aware snapshot/continuous queries, and (3) Motivate the need for integrating location-awareness as a new query processing and optimization dimension, and (4) Raise several research challenges that need to be addressed towards a true support for location-aware queries in database management systems.

The mobile cellular systems are expected to support multiple services with guaranteed quality of service (QoS). However, the ability of wireless systems to accommodate expected growth of traffic load and broadband services is limited by available radio frequency spectrum. Call admission control (CAC) is one of the resource management functions, which regulates network access to ensure QoS provisioning. However, the decision for CAC is very challenging issue due to user mobility, limited radio spectrum, and multimedia traffic characteristics. To deal with these problems, in this paper, we propose a fuzzy CAC system. We compare the performance of the proposed system with shadow cluster concept (SCC). We evaluate by simulation the performance of the proposed system. The proposed system has a good behavior on deciding the number of accepted connections while keeping the QoS for serving connections., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

The wide spread use of cellular phones, handheld devices, and GPS-like technology enables location-aware environments where virtually all objects are aware of their locations. Such environments call for new query processing techniques that deal with the continuous movement of both spatio-temporal objects and queries. The goal of this tutorial is to: (1) Give an in-depth view on supporting location-aware queries as an increasingly interesting area of research, (2) Present the state-of-the-art techniques for efficient handling of location-aware snapshot/continuous queries, and (3) Motivate the need for integrating location-awareness as a new query processing and optimization dimension, and (4) Raise several research challenges that need to be addressed towards a true support for location-aware queries in database management systems.

In the last years a great concern has raised among population due to the placement of the base stations (BS) of cellular systems in urban areas. In some cases, it has been addressed with the (re)installation of BSs in far suburban areas. However, in these cases, mobile stations (MS) must raise transmission power. Thus, users may -potentially- suffer a higher radio exposure. In this paper we quantified the variation of the transmission power in this application scenario. The study has been done by means of the OPNET/GSM framework simulation tool. Suitable propagation models and the GSM power control algorithm have been added to the model, in order to compute the MS transmission power in a real environment. Results reveal a significative increment of the MS transmission power when the BS is relocated to suburban areas. Therefore, we conclude that it is necessary to introduce modifications in the GSM network architecture to solve this issue together with the BS placement problem

Multimedia applications are driving wireless network operators to add high-speed data services such as Edge (E-GPRS), WCDMA (UMTS) and WLAN (IEEE 802.11a,b,g) to the existing network. This creates the need for multi-mode cellular handsets that support a wide range of communication standards, each with a different RF freguency, signal bandwidth, modulation scheme, etc. This in turn generates several design challenges for the analog and digital building blocks of the physical layer. In addition to the above-mentioned protocols, mobile devices often include Bluetooth, GPS, FM-radio and TV services that can work concurrently with data and voice communication. Multi-mode, multi-band, and multi-standard mobile terminals must satisfy all these different reguirements. Sharing and/or switching transceiver building blocks in these handsets is mandatory in order to extend battery life and/or to reduce cost. Only adaptive circuits that are able to reconfigure themselves within the handover time can meet the design reguirements of a single receiver or transmitter covering all the different standards while ensuring seamless inter-interoperability. This paper presents analog and digital base-band circuits that are able to support GSM (with Edge), WCDMA (UMTS), WLAN and Bluetooth using reconfigurable building blocks. The blocks can trade off power consumption for performance on the fly, depending on the standard to be supported and the reguired QoS (Quality of Service) level. © 2006 IEEE.

The uplink of code division multiple access (CDMA) cellular radio systems is often interference limited. The interference originates from many users whose transmission powers are not observable for the system. This thesis introduces uplink load and applies means of explicitly considering the users’ radio environment when approximating and controlling the load. A desirable property of all cellular radio systems is uplink feasibility, i.e., existence of finite user transmission powers to support the allocated services. Uplink load can be considered as a measure of how far from infeasibility the system is. The performed characterization of uplink load lead to two concrete definitions related to the amount of received and transmitted power, respectively. An important part of the total load is the intercell load which is caused by users connected to neighboring base stations. If not carefully handled, the intercell load can jeopardize uplink feasibility. Conversely, knowledge of a lower intercell load can be used to increase the resource assignments. A common denominator in all the work in this thesis is that the intercell load is explicitly considered. When approximating uplink load, a centralized approach is adopted to study information gathered in several base stations. This yields good approximations of the average load. However, centralized approximations can not detect momentarily peaks in the load. A number of resource allocation algorithms making control decisions in the local base stations are proposed based on experience from characterizing uplink load. As the algorithms study the intercell load, yet without measuring the interference power, they are robust in the sense that they will never assign resources yielding an infeasible system. A straightforward way of controlling the uplink load is to use measurements of the received interference power. This approach, just as the proposed load approximations, can gain from knowing the background noise power. The same