Millimeter-Wave Wireless LAN and Its Extension toward 5G Heterogeneous Networks

Abstract

SUMMARY Millimeter-wave (mmw) frequency bands, especially 60 GHz unlicensed band, are considered as a promising solution for gigabit short range wireless communication systems. IEEE standard 802.11ad, also known as WiGig, is standardized for the usage of the 60 GHz unlicensed band for wireless local area networks (WLANs). By using this mmw WLAN, multi-Gbps rate can be achieved to support bandwidthintensive multimedia applications. Exhaustive search along with beamforming (BF) is usually used to overcome 60 GHz channel propagation loss and accomplish data transmissions in such mmw WLANs. Because of its short range transmission with a high susceptibility to path blocking, multiple number of mmw access points (APs) should be used to fully cover a typical target environment for future high capacity multi-Gbps WLANs. Therefore, coordination among mmw APs is highly needed to overcome packet collisions resulting from un-coordinated exhaustive search BF and to increase total capacity of mmw WLANs. In this paper, we firstly give the current status of mmw WLANs with our developed WiGig AP prototype. Then, we highlight the great need for coordinated transmissions among mmw APs as a key enabler for future high capacity mmw WLANs. Two different types of coordinated mmw WLAN architecture are introduced. One is distributed antenna type architecture to realize centralized coordination, while the other is autonomous coordination with the assistance of legacy Wi-Fi signaling. Moreover, two heterogeneous network (HetNet) architectures are also introduced to efficiently extend the coordinated mmw WLANs to be used for future 5 th Generation (5G) cellular networks. key words: millimeter wave, IEEE802.11ad, coordinated mmw WLAN, 5G cellular networks, heterogeneous networks

Effects of 60-GHz millimeter waves on neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells using high-content screening

“…High data rates (up to 7 Gbit/s), secured networks and a miniaturization of electronic devices are the main advantages brought by those frequencies, especially around 60 GHz, explaining why they have been recently brought back to the fore. This band will be used for a variety of commercial applications, such as for nextgeneration mobile phone networks 5G or local/personal/body area networks -WLAN/WPAN/WBAN [1][2][3], as well as for emerging biomedical applications [4]. This new kind of electromagnetic fields (EMF) sources will increase the global anthropogenic exposure constituted by radiofrequencies (RF).…”

Where, When, and How mmWave is Used in 5G and Beyond

“…After the standardization of IEEE802.11ad/WiGig in 2012, tri-band chipsets supporting 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 60 GHz bands were released by Intel and Qualcomm [18], [19]. Panasonic developed in 2014 a first Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point (AP) prototype using 60 GHz [20], and commercial products using WiGig became available on the market recently. To ensure interoperability, WiGig became part of the Wi-Fi alliance in 2013 and the certification program was established in 2016 [21].…”

“…One of the impairments of mmWave links is channel intermittency, due to sporadic blockage due to obstacles or interference from mobile users observed from very similar angles by the APs. To counteract blocking events, it is useful to establish multilink communications, so that a user may access multiple APs at the same time, depending on channel conditions [20], [52].…”

Radio Access Technologies for Fifth Generation Mobile Communications System: Review of Recent Research and Developments in Japan

“…One example of 5G promising technologies for the integration of lower and higher frequency bands is control (C)-plane and user data (U)-plane split over the radio access [3], [9]. For exploitation of higher frequency bands such as centimeter wave and millimeter wave, massive MIMO, which employs very large number of antenna elements, is one promising technology for the 5G RAN [3]- [5], [7], [9].…”