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Challenges Introduced by 5G in IoT Middleware

 

Technological Requirements of 5G Systems

 

5G is a promising technology that has been considered the next step for a long- term worldwide evolution of mobile communication. 5G is intended to be the major component of the networked or IoT/M2M-oriented society, and will help to real- ize the IoT vision toward unlimited access to information and sharing of pervasive data (anywhere and anytime) for anyone (human-centric approach) and anything (device/things-oriented approach) [27]. The aim of 5G is not only about mobile connectivity for people, but also mobile and ubiquitous connectivity for any kind of computing device and application that may benefit from being connected to the Internet (IoT) and also to the Web (WoT—Web of Things).

In order to enable massive connectivity for a very wide range of heterogeneous IoT applications and devices, the capabilities of 5G mobile networks must extend far beyond those of previous generations of mobile communication (e.g., 3G and 4G). Next topics present the main requirements and capabilities that are considered technological challenges for 5G mobile communication [16]. These features are also summarized in Table 1.

A.  Massive System Capacity

Massive system capacity is related to higher data traffic demands and higher num- ber of IoT devices and applications that will be connected to the Internet in the 5G Era. Data traffic demands for mobile communication in IoT systems are predicted to increase dramatically in the coming years [26]. To support such demand, 5G net- work technologies must be able to deliver data with much lower cost per bit compared with the current and available networks. Furthermore, in order to be able to operate with the same or preferably even lower overall energy consumption compared with today mobile technologies, 5G must enable radically lower energy consumption per delivered bit.

Another aspect of 5G-system capacity is the capability to support a much larger number of IoT devices and applications compared with today. The new use cases envisioned for 5G-based IoT applications include, for example, the deployment of billions of wirelessly connected sensors, actuators, and other mobile devices, but allowing that each device will be associated with very little traffic, implying that, even jointly, they will have a limited impact on the overall traffic volume of the network.

B.  Higher Ubiquitous Data Rates for Real-life Conditions Situations

Every generation of mobile communication technology has been associated with higher data rates compared with the previous one. In the past, much focus has been taken on the peak data rate that can be supported by a wireless-access technology under ideal conditions. However, a more interesting requirement regarding capability is the data rate that can actually be provided under real-life conditions in different IoT scenarios. In this way, the intended data rates requirements for 5G must be:

∙   10 Gbps in specific scenarios such as indoor and dense outdoor environments;

∙   100 Mbps should be generally achievable in urban and sub-urban environments;

∙   (At least) 10 Mbps should be achievable essentially everywhere, including sparsely populated rural areas in both developed and developing countries.

 

C.  Very Low Latency for Next-generation Networks

Lower latency network has been a key target for both 4G and the evolution of 3G, driven mainly by the continuous quest for higher achievable data rates. As envisioned IoT applications (e.g., traffic safety and control of critical infrastructure and industry processes) may require much lower latency compared with what is possible with the mobile communication systems of today, the 5G research community is targeting higher data rates, which itself, will drive a need for very lower latency. To support such latency-critical applications, 5G should allow for an end-to-end application, a latency of 1ms or less.

D.  Ultra-high Reliability and Availability for Mobile Connectivity

In addition to very low latency, 5G should also enable mobile connectivity with ultra- high reliability and availability. For critical services, such as Healthcare monitoring systems and Traffic Safety, connectivity with certain guarantees, such as specific maximum latency, should not only be “typically available”. Rather, ensuring connec- tivity with specific requirements should be always available (i.e., with “availability”) and essentially with no deviation (i.e., with “reliability”).

E.  Very Low Cost and Energy Consumption for Mobile Devices

The possibility for low cost and low energy consumption for mobile devices has been a key requirement since the early days of mobile communication. However, in order to enable the vision of billions of wirelessly connected devices, a further step has to be taken in terms of hardware cost and energy consumption. It should be possible for such IoT/5G devices to be available at very low cost and with a battery life of several years without recharging.

F.  Virtualized Network Technology Support

Cost and deployment flexibility will also be important factors in 5G networks, requir- ing a shift toward software-based implementations and virtualization technologies. In particular, 5G systems will be able to create multiple virtual core networks tailored to the specialized requirements of particular applications. For example, the system could create a virtual core network to support M2M, a separate virtual core network to support the Internet content, and another virtual core network to support operator- differentiated media services, all of which can be configured by dynamically utilizing the network resources from the same or different networks.

G.  Powerful Nodes at the Edge of the Network

Flexible and powerful nodes at the edge of the network to offload the traffic from the core, to manage data flows efficiently by dynamically adjusting network resources for each application flow, and to process the raw information coming from the multitude of sensors/IoT devices, is another important requirement. Thus, more content will be cached at the edge of the network to reduce core network traffic during busy hours and reduce latency when content is being retrieved. Pre-caching of user generated content and Internet content based on estimated popularity, social trends, and user presence and preferences will allow network operators to better utilize their network pipelines based on context information.