CWC – Centre for Wireless Communications

Ari Pouttu, Director - CWC

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CWC Key Characteristics

• Project based operation, all funding outside university budget > 25 projects.

• Research partners include Tekes, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Xilinx, Finnish Defence Forces, European Commission, European Defence Agency, European Space Agency, Patria, Insta, Elektrobit, Nethawk, Ericsson.

• Annual budget of approximately 7 M EUR.

• 110 Staff

• All new initiatives funded by own surplus, which is used for

– CWC funded professorships (Currently 7)

– Internal strategic research projects

– Acquisition of high class research equipment

CWC Overview

CWC in Figures

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NUMBER OF STAFF 1995-2010

CWC Research funding division in 2009

CWC research activities

Ari Pouttu, Director - CWC

CWC Research Arena

614.1.2010

Tekijöiden sukunimet aakkosjärjestyksessä

Some Dimensions/Drivers for Future Wireless Networks Development

Evolution of mobile cellular networks

Opportunistic communication

Wireless Internet architectures

Energy efficient (”green”) networking

Ubiquitous Internet access

Broadband mobile wireless

Local connectivity

Positioning enabled network management

Intelligent network(s) management

Strong component in GIGA projects

Strong component in GIGA and EU FP7 projects

Strong component in EU FP7 projects

Evolution of Mobile Cellular NetworksWide-Area Access Technologies

• 3G networks well established

– High speed access (HSDPA and HSUPA) largely emerged.

– Physical layer technology based on WCDMA.

– MIMO and other enhancements introduced currently.

• 3G LTE emerging: first standard versions completed

– Physical layer based on OFDM(A) in downlink and SC-FDMA in uplink; efficient user scheduling plays a big role.

– Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) used extensively.

– More network control functionalities to base stations.

• WiMAX also based on OFDM(A) and is very similar to LTE.

• IMT-A development has started and can potentially introduce totally news ways for wireless networking.

• European WINNER project has been investigating IMT-A radio access techniques since 2004.

Technical Enablers/Challenges for IMT-A• Novel network topologies

– Co-operative relaying.

– Distributed antenna systems.

• Challenges in L1

– Different multiantenna solutions for multiuser environment.

– Channel quality based link adaptation.

• Multiple access

– Fast user scheduling in OFDMA.

– Opportunistic spectrum use concepts.

• Network control

– Complexity (~smartness) increases => autonomosity required => cognitive radio networking (CRN) concepts.

• Spectrum sharing concepts

– Part of the spectrum will be shared between operators.

– Sharing schemes call for cognitive radio capabilities.

None of these has been realised in any existing or emerging widely deployed standard yet.

Challenges for Future Internet – Wireless Perspective

• The original Internet architecture is being pushed to it’s limits due to:

– mobility, number of devices and pervasiveness,

– fast changing content,

– bandwidth availability,

– end user provided infrastructure and services,

– security, trust, dependability,

– QoS requirements,

– heterogeneity of devices, access technologies and services,

– complexity of network management.

Research Challenges for Wireless Networking

• Mobility, dynamically changing information needed for ubiquitous service infrastructure, number of active nodes, lack of transmission capacity etc. call for totally new type of networking architectures.

– It can be seen already now in the development of cellular networks in the need of development of local connectivity.

• How is information routed from multiple sources to destination(s)?

• How is the changing network(s) environment managed and used most efficiently?

• Some research themes driving for the change:

– Integration of sensor networks to the rest of Internet

– Intelligent management of heterog. wireless networks

– Mobile wireless driven future Internet architecture

Energy Efficient ”Green” Networking

• The telecom industry is growing fast (more users & higher data rates), causing an increase in its environmental impact.

• This growth needs to be compensated by technology with improved energy efficiency - which is not yet achieved.

• ICT represents today a small part (2-3%) of CO2 emissions, BUT it is rapidly growing and energy costs for network operators are already huge.

• ICT has great potential to reduce CO2 emissions drastically in short to medium term.

• Future technology development should furher aim at reducing energy consumption.

• Interesting research issues can be identified both in networking and radio side

– energy efficient network topologies & architectures

– heterogeneous networks management

– devices & transmission

Local Connectivity in Mobile Cellular Systems

• During the recent years, mobile cellular standards have started to include local broadband connectivity on licenced bands.

• This benefits both user (lower costs per bit) and operators (increased network capacity and savings in CAPEX/OPEX).

• For the future development of them, a careful thinking is needed in which environments users need broadband wireless connectivity:

– Home

– Commuting

– Office, public places

– Anywhere with friends

Femtocells

Moving local access

Evolutionary / networked femtocells

Device-to-device communication

Research Challenges in Local Connectivity

• Femtonetwork management (handovers, resource management, distributed antenna solutions, user scheduling, etc.).

• Easy installation of multiple sites; autoconfiguration and autonoumous management (SON).

• Multioperator environment and spectrum sharing accross operators.

• Interference management between femtocells and micro/macro BSs.

• Co-existence with other access technologies (Wi-Fi).

• High-quality backhaul (either fixed or wireless).

Software defined radio

The radio equipment

•A multiband radio capable to support different phy solutions.

Cognitive radios

Typically lower layers

•physical layer and signal processing issues such as spectrum sensing.

•Some MAC control issues are addressed, but research on resource allocation is not well covered.

Cognitive radio networksIntelligent management of networks

•RRM and distributed network control are the key issues.

Ambient networks

Typically higher layers

•With emphasis on upper layer issues, ambient network (AN) research addresses seamless interoperation of heterogeneous networks.

Autonomic communications

Self-configuring networks

•AC initiative addresses the problem of self-configuring radio research management and MAC.

•Can be conceived as cognitive networks.

Dynamic spectrum access

Frequency sharing view

•Try to encompass different approaches to spectrum reform.

Different camps

aiming at similar goals!

Intelligent Network(s) Management orCognitive Wireless Networking or......

CWC’s TEKES GIGA projects

CWC’s TEKES Projects

• Currently CWC is active in 13 projects that have strong TEKES funding including e.g. GIGA projects and 3 FiDiPro professors projects

• GIGA technology programme has strong wireless access and wireless networking component and is funding currently 6 projects

• These GIGA funded projects are presenting their main results in this seminar– PANU - Packet Access Networks with Flexible Spectrum Use

– MITSE - MIMO Techniques for 3G System and Standard Evolution

– COGNAC - COGNitive And opportunistic wireless Communication networks

– CROSSNET - CROSSlayer solutions and NETwork support for broadband wireless access

– WINNER+ - Wireless World Initiative New Radio +

– IMT-A EVALUATION

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• Sponsors: Tekes, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Elektrobit, and CWC.

• Volume 2009: 990 k€, 105 person months (PM)

• General research theme: radio resource management and radio network control techniques for mixed topology networks

– Enhanced cellular radio networks

– Local connectivity wireless networks

– Fundamental (inter-)networking theories and topics

• Expected Impact: supports the project sponsors in designing new system concepts as well standards, terminals, and base stations for IMT-Advanced and beyond 4G systems

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PANU - Packet Access Networks with Flexible Spectrum UseBasic cellular network models are augmented into more flexible network structures (e.g., ad hoc mesh topologies, relay enhanced cells and direct device-to-device communications) as shown in Figure. All PANU research efforts are considered as possible intermediate steps towards IMT-Advanced and beyond 4G systems

IPv6 Radio Access

Network

Direct terminal-to-terminal communications

Distributed antenna

MIMO concept

Ad-hoc multihop extension

via relay node

relay node

Relays for improved coverage/capacity

A

B A -> B

Inter-operator interaction

Wireless mesh

router backbone

Wireless mesh clients

Basic cellular

MITSE - MIMO Techniques for 3G System and Standard Evolution

• Sponsors: Tekes, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Elektrobit, Uninord and CWC.

• Volume 2009 : 873 k€, 93 PM

• General research theme: The use of multiple antennas in both the transmitter and the receiver (MIMO) in 3G Long-Term Evolution and IMT-A

• Expected Impact: Algorithms utilized in MIMO-OFDM systems such as LTE/LTE-A, IMT-A and Mobile WiMAX

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MITSE is a B3G cellular communication system research project. The scope and content of the project covers future development and evolution of 3G cellular communication systems known as 3G Long-Term Evolution and IMT-A. The main emphasis is on MIMO transmission schemes and receiver algorithms and architectures as well as computation solutions needed by them in multiuser OFDM(A) and SC-FDMA systems

COGNAC - COGNitive And opportunistic wireless Communication networks

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• Sponsors: Tekes, CWC, VTT

• Partner: VTT

• Volume 2009 : CWC 285k€ , 31 PM – VTT 355 k€, 28 PM

• General research theme: Realizing the cognitive cycle in future highly heterogeneous networks

• Expected Impact: deep under-standing of the key enabling technologies for opportunistic communication systems, such as: flexible frequency use, dynamic system management, radio resource management and multi-channel medium access control methods.

The process of cognitive resource management can be best described as a cognition cycle. The cycleincludes sensing of the operating environment, management decision algorithms and adaptation tobetter exploit the resources in the environment. Furthermore, the decision-making has to take intoaccount any outside restrictions and policies.

CROSSNET - CROSSlayer solutions and NETwork support for broadband wireless access

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• Sponsors: Tekes, Elektrobit, Nethawk, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, CWC, VTT

• Partner: VTT

• Volume 2009 : CWC 175k€ , 20 PM – VTT 194 k€, 16 PM

• General research theme: to connect NetHawk’s network simulator and analyzing tools to CWC’s and VTT’s computer simulation models and testing tools and EB’s radio interface test systems

• Expected Impact: To combine the existing expertise of radio access and networking technology amongst the project partners to build a CrossNet research/testing laboratory for LTE and LTE-A

The anticipated integrated platform, i.e. CrossNet Common Laboratory, consists of existing technology building blocks provided by project partners: NetHawk, EB, VTT, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nokia Devices and CWC. Laboratory is targeted for experimental research on cross-layer optimisation.

WINNER+ - Wireless World Initiative New Radio +

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• Sponsors: Tekes, CWC

• Partners: EUREKA Celtic Winner+ consortium comprises almost 30 partners including manufacturers, operators, R&D centers and universities

• Volume 2009 : 519 k€, 51 PM

• General research themes: innovations in areas with a high potential of exploitation in IMT-A, harmonization of innovations in the pre-standardization phase, participation in the evaluation of selected technology proposals, evaluation and demonstration of selected key technologies

• Expected Impact: candidate IMT-Advanced technology proposal

The project focuses on developing and evaluating innovative concepts and technologies for systemsbeyond 3G LTE. The innovations are optimized and evaluated by simulations within the overall WINNER+concept. Beyond that, parts of this concept are expected to be incorporated into candidateIMT-Advanced technology proposals.

IMT-A EVALUATION

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• Sponsors: Tekes, CWC

• Volume 2009 : 105 k€, 10 PM

• General research themes: As support to WINNER +, the goal of the project is to provide reliable evaluations of IMT-Advanced compliant technologies that are submitted to ITU-R development of radio interface recommendations.

• Expected Impact: Evaluation resultsof candidate IMT-Advanced techno-logy proposals, system level simu-lator based on the ITU-R IMT-Aevaluation specifications

The purpose of the project “IMT-Advanced Evaluation” is to participate in theevaluation work in WINNER+ project.