End-to-End Simulation of 5G mmWave Networks

Abstract

Due to its potential for multi-gigabit and low latency wireless links, millimeter wave (mmWave) technology is expected to play a central role in 5th generation (5G) cellular systems. While there has been considerable progress in understanding the mmWave physical layer, innovations will be required at all layers of the protocol stack, in both the access and the core network. Discrete-event network simulation is essential for end-to-end, cross-layer research and development. This paper provides a tutorial on a recently developed full-stack mmWave module integrated into the widely used open-source ns-3 simulator. The module includes a number of detailed statistical channel models as well as the ability to incorporate real measurements or raytracing data. The Physical (PHY) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers are modular and highly customizable, making it easy to integrate algorithms or compare Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) numerologies, for example. The module is interfaced with the core network of the ns-3 Long Term Evolution (LTE) module for full-stack simulations of end-to-end connectivity, and advanced architectural features, such as dualconnectivity, are also available. To facilitate the understanding of the module, and verify its correct functioning, we provide several examples that show the performance of the custom mmWave stack as well as custom congestion control algorithms designed specifically for efficient utilization of the mmWave channel.This work has been submitted to IEEE Communication Surveys and Tutorials for possible publication.

An E2E simulator for 5G NR networks

“…The NR module starts as a fork of the ns-3 mmWave simulation tool developed by New York University (NYU) and University of Padova [4]. The mmWave simulation model imports fundamental LTE features from the ns-3 LTE module (LENA) [3], which has been entirely designed and developed at Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions Catalunya (CTTC).…”

QoS Provisioning in 60 GHz Communications by Physical and Transport Layer Coordination

“…The end-to-end performance of mmWave cellular networks has been recently in the spotlight thanks to mostly simulation studies [19]- [21], [24]- [26], using the end-to-end mmWave module of ns-3 [27], and to some preliminary testbed-based evaluations [23], [28]. The studies have mainly focused on understanding the pitfalls that prevent TCP from delivering high throughput and low latency to the application layer.…”

5G is Real: Evaluating the Compliance of the 3GPP 5G New Radio System With the ITU IMT-2020 Requirements

“…Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance to independently verify the validity of the 3GPP submission prior to officially declaring the 5G NR system as an IMT-2020 compliant system. This paper focuses on assessing the performance of the 3GPP 5G NR system for applications in the areas of massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC) and enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), which are expected to play an integral role in future Internet of Things (IoT) applications, with focus on key parameters evaluated by system simulations to providing an independent evaluation to the compliance of the 3GPP submitted 5G NR self-evaluation simulations [11] via a custom simulator, which considered numerous academic and industrial simulations [14], [18]- [21] and compares the results of 3GPP developed simulations by companies such as Huawei, Ericsson, Intel and NTT Docomo among others. Some of these applications include, but are not limited to: smart wearables, health monitors, autonomous driving, and remote computing [25].…”