Direct communication between two or more devices without the intervention of a base station, known as device-todevice (D2D) communication, is a promising way to improve performance of cellular networks in terms of spectral and energy efficiency. The D2D communication paradigm has been largely exploited in non-cellular technologies such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi but it has not yet been fully incorporated into existing cellular networks. In this regard, a new proposal focusing on the integration of D2D communication into LTE-A has been recently approved by the 3GPP standardization community as discussed in this paper. In cellular networks, D2D communication introduces several critical issues, such as interference management and decisions on whether devices should communicate directly or not. In this survey, we provide a thorough overview of the state of the art focusing on D2D communication, especially within 3GPP LTE/LTE-A. First, we provide in-depth classification of papers looking at D2D from several perspectives. Then, papers addressing all major problems and areas related to D2D are presented and approaches proposed in the papers are compared according to selected criteria. On the basis of the surveyed papers, we highlight areas not satisfactorily addressed so far and outline major challenges for future work regarding efficient integration of D2D in cellular networks.Index Terms-D2D communication, D2D mode selection, interference management, D2D energy efficiency, advanced topology for D2D1553-877X (c) Fig. 2. Classification of D2D communication in cellular networks.tion underlying LTE-A network and shown how the D2D communication can be established within a system architecture evolution (SAE). The study introduces an exchange of messages to support the D2D functionality within the SAE and contemplates the possible limits of the D2D concerning interference issues both in the downlink (DL) and the uplink (UL) transmission directions. The paper also presents feasibility analysis evaluating performance of network with enabled D2D communication. Functional prospects of the D2D communication and its implementation into LTE-A system are tackled in [29]. The paper describes new features necessary to be added into the SAE architecture in order to support the D2D communication: radio identification and bearer setup, means to exchange the information over a D2D connection and interference management, link adaptation, timing, and mobility issues. Design aspects of network assisted D2D communication is addressed in [30]. The paper firstly provides a brief overview on technical challenges posed by enabling of D2D concept in cellular networks and provides the solutions for individual challenges.An option of architectural modification in LTE-A networks for D2D is also proposed in [31]. The authors introduce new network entity, called a D2D server (in Fig. 1, this server is not depicted to keep clarity of the figure), and necessary interfaces to connect it to the existing LTE-A architecture. The D2D server is located within the E...