| 1. |
- Abbas, Muhammad Tahir, et al.
(author)
-
Energy-Saving Solutions for Cellular Internet of Things - A Survey
- 2022
-
In: IEEE Access. - IEEE : IEEE. - 2169-3536. ; 10, s. 62096-62096
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Cellular Internet of Things (CIoT), a new paradigm, paves the way for a large-scale deployment of IoT devices. CIoT promises enhanced coverage and massive deployment of low-cost IoT devices with an expected battery life of up to 10 years. However, such a long battery life can only be achieved provided the CIoT device is configured with energy efficiency in mind. This paper conducts a comprehensive survey on energy-saving solutions in 3GPP-based CIoT networks. In comparison to current studies, the contribution of this paper is the classification and an extensive analysis of existing energy-saving solutions for CIoT, e.g., the configuration of particular parameter values and software modifications of transport- or radio-layer protocols, while also stressing key parameters impacting the energy consumption such as the frequency of data reporting, discontinuous reception cycles (DRX), and Radio Resource Control (RRC) timers. In addition, we discuss shortcomings, limitations, and possible opportunities which can be investigated in the future to reduce the energy consumption of CIoT devices.
|
|
| 2. |
- Abbas, Muhammad Tahir, et al.
(author)
-
Guidelines for an Energy Efficient Tuning of the NB-IoT Stack
- 2020
-
In: 45th IEEE Conference on Local Computer Networks (LCN). - : IEEE Communications Society. ; , s. 60-69
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, we study the energy consumptionof Narrowband IoT devices. The paper suggests that key tosaving energy for NB-IoT devices is the usage of full Discontinuous Reception (DRX), including the use of connected-mode DRX (cDRX): In some cases, cDRX reduced the energy consumption over a 10-year period with as much as 50%. However, the paper also suggests that tunable parameters, such as the inactivity timer, do have a significant impact. On the basis of our findings, guidelines are provided on how to tune the NB-IoT device so that it meets the target of the 3GPP, i.e., a 5-Wh battery should last for at least 10 years. It is further evident from our results that the energy consumption is largely dependent on the intensity and burstiness of the traffic, and thus could be significantly reduced if data is sent in bursts with less intensity,irrespective of cDRX support.
|
|
| 3. |
- Abbas, Muhammad Tahir, et al.
(author)
-
On the Energy-efficient Use of Discontinuous Reception and Release Assistance in NB-IoT
- 2022
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cellular Internet of Things (CIoT) is a Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) technology. It aims for cheap, lowcomplexity IoT devices that enable large-scale deployments and wide-area coverage. Moreover, to make large-scale deployments of CIoT devices in remote and hard-to-access locations possible, a long device battery life is one of the main objectives of these devices. To this end, 3GPP has defined several energysaving mechanisms for CIoT technologies, not least for the Narrow-Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology, one of the major CIoT technologies. Examples of mechanisms defined include CONNECTED-mode DRX (cDRX), Release Assistance Indicator (RAI), and Power Saving Mode (PSM). This paper considers the impact of the essential energy-saving mechanisms on minimizing the energy consumption of NB-IoT devices, especially the cDRX and RAI mechanisms. The paper uses a purpose-built NB-IoT simulator that has been tested in terms of its built-in energy-saving mechanisms and validated with realworld NB-IoT measurements. The simulated results show that it is possible to save 70%-90% in energy consumption by enabling the cDRX and RAI. In fact, the results suggest that a battery life of 10 years is only achievable provided the cDRX, RAI, and PSM energy-saving mechanisms are correctly configured and used
|
|
| 4. |
- Alay, Özgü, et al.
(author)
-
Experience : An open platform for experimentation with commercial mobile broadband networks
- 2017
-
In: MobiCom '17 Proceedings of the 23rd Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking. - New York : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781450349161 ; , s. 70-78
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Open experimentation with operational Mobile Broadband (MBB) networks in the wild is currently a fundamental requirement of the research community in its endeavor to address the need of innovative solutions for mobile communications. Even more, there is a strong need for objective data about stability and performance of MBB (e.g., 3G/4G) networks, and for tools that rigorously and scientifically assess their status. In this paper, we introduce the MONROE measurement platform: an open access and flexible hardware-based platform for measurements and custom experimentation on operational MBB networks. The MONROE platform enables accurate, realistic and meaningful assessment of the performance and reliability of 11 MBB networks in Europe. We report on our experience designing, implementing and testing the solution we propose for the platform. We detail the challenges we overcame while building and testing the MONROE testbed and argue our design and implementation choices accordingly. We describe and exemplify the capabilities of the platform and the wide variety of experiments that external users already perform using the system
|
|
| 5. |
- Alay, Özgü, et al.
(author)
-
Measuring and Assessing Mobile Broadband Networks with MONROE
- 2016
-
In: 2016 IEEE International Symposium on a World of Wireless, Mobile, and Multimedia Networks (WoWMoM). - Red Hook : IEEE. - 9781509021864 - 9781509021857
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mobile broadband (MBB) networks underpin numerous vital operations of the society and are arguably becoming the most important piece of the communications infrastructure. In this demo paper, our goal is to showcase the potential of a novel multi-homed MBB platform for measuring, monitoring and assessing the performance of MBB services in an objective manner. Our platform, MONROE, is composed of hundreds of nodes scattered over four European countries and a backend system that collects the measurement results. Through a user-friendly web client, the experimenters can schedule and deploy their experiments. The platform further embeds traffic analysis tools for real-time traffic flow analysis and a powerful visualization tool.
|
|
| 6. |
- Alay, Özgü, et al.
(author)
-
Monitoring and Analytics (Release B)
- 2021
-
Reports (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This document describes the design and implementation of the 5GENESIS Monitoring & Analytics (M&A) framework in its Release B, developed within Task T3.3 of the project work plan. M&A Release B leverages and extends M&A Release A, which has been documented in the previous Deliverable D3.5 [1]. In particular, we present new features and enhancements introduced in this new Release compared to the Release A. We also report some examples of usage of the M&A framework, in order to showcase its integrated in the 5GENESIS Reference Architecture.
|
|
| 7. |
- Alay, Özgü, et al.
(author)
-
MONROE, a distributed platform to measure and assess mobile broadband networks : demo
- 2016
-
In: Proceedings of the Tenth ACM International Workshop on Wireless Network Testbeds, Experimental Evaluation, and Characterization. - New York, NY, USA : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781450342520 ; , s. 85-86
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This demo presents the MONROE distributed platform and how it can be used to implement measurement and assessment experiments with operational mobile broadband networks (MBBs). MONROE provides registered experimenters with open access to hundreds of nodes, distributed over several European countries and equipped with multiple MBB connections, and a backend system that collects the measurement results. Experiments are scheduled through a user-friendly web client, with no need to directly access the nodes. The platform further embeds tools for real-time traffic flow analysis and a powerful visualization tool.
|
|
| 8. |
- Alcalá-Marín, Sergi, et al.
(author)
-
Global Mobile Network Aggregators : Taxonomy, Roaming Performance and Optimization
- 2022
-
In: MobiSys 2022 - Proceedings of the 2022 20th Annual International Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications and Services. - New York, NY, USA : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ; , s. 183-195
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new model of global virtual Mobile Network Operator (MNO) - the Mobile Network Aggregator (MNA) - has recently been gaining significant traction. MNAs provide mobile communications services to their customers by leveraging multiple MNOs, and connecting through the one that best match their customers’ needs at any point in time (and space). MNAs naturally provide optimized global coverage by connecting through local MNOs across the different geographic regions they provide service. In this paper, we dissect the operations of three MNAs, namely, Google Fi, Twilio and Truphone. We perform measurements using the three selected MNAs to assess their performance for three major applications, namely, DNS, web browsing and video streaming. We benchmark their performance comparing it to the one of a traditional MNO. We find that even MNAs provide some delay penalty compared to the service accessed through the local MNOs in the geographic area where the user is roaming, they can significantly improve performance compared to traditional roaming model of the MNOs (e.g. home routed roaming). Finally, in order to fully quantify the potential benefits that can be realized using the MNA model, we perform a set of emulations by deploying both control and user plane functions of open-source 5G implementations in different locations of AWS, and measure the potential gains.
|
|
| 9. |
- Ali, Usman, et al.
(author)
-
Data-Driven Analysis of Outdoor-to-Indoor Propagation for 5G Mid-Band Operational Networks
- 2022
-
In: Future Internet. - : MDPI. - 1999-5903. ; 14:8, s. 1-27
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The successful rollout of fifth-generation (5G) networks requires a full understanding of the behavior of the propagation channel, taking into account the signal formats and the frequencies standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In the past, channel characterization for 5G has been addressed mainly based on the measurements performed on dedicated links in experimental setups. This paper presents a state-of-the-art contribution to the characterization of the outdoor-to-indoor radio channel in the 3.5 GHz band, based on experimental data for commercial, deployed 5G networks, collected during a large scale measurement campaign carried out in the city of Rome, Italy. The analysis presented in this work focuses on downlink, outdoor-to-indoor propagation for two operators adopting two different beamforming strategies, single wide-beam and multiple synchronization signal blocks (SSB) based beamforming; it is indeed the first contribution studying the impact of beamforming strategy in real 5G networks. The time and power-related channel characteristics, i.e., mean excess delay and Root Mean Square (RMS) delay spread, path loss, and K-factor are studied for the two operators in multiple measurement locations. The analysis of time and power-related parameters is supported and extended by a correlation analysis between each pair of parameters. The results show that beamforming strategy has a marked impact on propagation. A single wide-beam transmission leads, in fact, to lower RMS delay spread and lower mean excess delay compared to a multiple SSB-based transmission strategy. In addition, the single wide-beam transmission system is characterized by a smaller path loss and a higher K-factor, suggesting that the adoption of a multiple SSB-based transmission strategy may have a negative impact on downlink performance.
|
|
| 10. |
- Ali, Usman, et al.
(author)
-
Large-Scale Dataset for the Analysis of Outdoor-to-Indoor Propagation for 5G Mid-Band Operational Networks
- 2022
-
In: Data. - : MDPI. - 2306-5729. ; 7:3, s. 34-34
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding radio propagation characteristics and developing channel models is fundamental to building and operating wireless communication systems. Among others uses, channel characterization and modeling can be used for coverage and performance analysis and prediction. Within this context, this paper describes a comprehensive dataset of channel measurements performed to analyze outdoor-to-indoor propagation characteristics in the mid-band spectrum identified for the operation of 5th Generation (5G) cellular systems. Previous efforts to analyze outdoor-to-indoor propagation characteristics in this band were made by using measurements collected on dedicated, mostly single-link setups. Hence, measurements performed on deployed and operational 5G networks still lack in the literature. To fill this gap, this paper presents a dataset of measurements performed over commercial 5G networks. In particular, the dataset includes measurements of channel power delay profiles from two 5G networks in Band n78, i.e., 3.3–3.8 GHz. Such measurements were collected at multiple locations in a large office building in the city of Rome, Italy by using the Rohde & Schwarz (R&S) TSMA6 network scanner during several weeks in 2020 and 2021. A primary goal of the dataset is to provide an opportunity for researchers to investigate a large set of 5G channel measurements, aiming at analyzing the corresponding propagation characteristics toward the definition and refinement of empirical channel propagation models.
|
|
| 11. |
- Caso, Giuseppe, et al.
(author)
-
An Initial Look into the Performance Evolution of 5G Non-Standalone Networks
- 2023
-
In: TMA 2023 - Proceedings of the 7th Network Traffic Measurement and Analysis Conference. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 9798350325676 - 9783903176584 ; , s. 1-4
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fifth Generation (5G) networks have been operational worldwide for a couple of years. To reveal how the 5G system evolution (e.g., changes in network conditions, deployment, and configurations) affects user performance, empirical long-term analyses are required. This paper presents preliminary insights from our ongoing large-scale measurement study of the commercial 5G non-standalone (NSA) networks deployed in Rome, Italy. An initial comparison between the measurements in 2020-2021 vs. 2023 shows a decrease in throughput and latency performance, calling for deeper analyses toward understanding the root causes and deriving proper optimization solutions.
|
|
| 12. |
- Caso, Giuseppe, et al.
(author)
-
Empirical Models for NB-IoT Path Loss in an Urban Scenario
- 2021
-
In: IEEE Internet of Things Journal. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 2327-4662. ; 8:17, s. 13774-13788
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The lack of publicly available large scale measurements has hindered the derivation of empirical path loss (PL) models for Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Therefore, simulation-based investigations currently rely on models conceived for other cellular technologies, which are characterized, however, by different available bandwidth, carrier frequency, and infrastructure deployment, among others. In this paper, we take advantage of data from a large scale measurement campaign in the city of Oslo, Norway, to provide the first empirical characterization of NB-IoT PL in an urban scenario. For the PL average term, we characterize Alpha-Beta-Gamma (ABG) and Close-In (CI) models. By analyzing multiple NBIoT cells, we propose a statistical PL characterization, i.e., the model parameters are not set to a single, constant value across cells, but are randomly extracted from well-known distributions. Similarly, we define the PL shadowing distribution, correlation over distance, and inter-site correlation. Finally, we give initial insights on outdoor-to-indoor propagation, using measurements up to deep indoor scenarios. The proposed models improve PL estimation accuracy compared to the ones currently adopted in NB-IoT investigations, enabling more realistic simulations of urban scenarios similar to the sites covered by our measurements.
|
|
| 13. |
|
|
| 14. |
- Caso, Giuseppe, et al.
(author)
-
Monitoring and Analytics (Release A)
- 2019
-
Reports (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This document describes the design and implementation of the 5GENESIS Monitoring & Analytics (M&A) framework (Release A), developed within Task T3.3 of the Project work plan.
|
|
| 15. |
- Caso, Giuseppe, et al.
(author)
-
NB-IoT Random Access : Data-driven Analysis and ML-based Enhancements
- 2021
-
In: IEEE Internet of Things Journal. - : IEEE. - 2327-4662. ; 8:14, s. 11384-11399
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the context of massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), the Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology is envisioned to efficiently and reliably deal with massive device connectivity. Hence, it relies on a tailored Random Access (RA) procedure, for which theoretical and empirical analyses are needed for a better understanding and further improvements. This paper presents the first data-driven analysis of NB-IoT RA, exploiting a large scale measurement campaign. We show how the RA procedure and performance are affected by network deployment, radio coverage, and operators’ configurations, thus complementing simulation-based investigations, mostly focused on massive connectivity aspects. Comparison with the performance requirements reveals the need for procedure enhancements. Hence, we propose a Machine Learning (ML) approach, and show that RA outcomes are predictable with good accuracy by observing radio conditions. We embed the outcome prediction in a RA enhanced scheme, and show that optimized configurations enable a power consumption reduction of at least 50%. We also make our dataset available for further exploration, toward the discovery of new insights and research perspectives.
|
|
| 16. |
- De Nardis, Luca, et al.
(author)
-
Positioning by Multicell Fingerprinting in UrbanNB-IoT Networks
- 2023
-
In: Sensors. - : MDPI. - 1424-8220. ; 23:9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) has quickly become a leading technology in the deployment of IoT systems and services, owing to its appealing features in terms of coverage and energy efficiency, as well as compatibility with existing mobile networks. Increasingly, IoT services and applications require location information to be paired with data collected by devices; NB-IoT still lacks, however, reliable positioning methods. Time-based techniques inherited from long-term evolution (LTE) are not yet widely available in existing networks and are expected to perform poorly on NB-IoT signals due to their narrow bandwidth. This investigation proposes a set of strategies for NB-IoT positioning based on fingerprinting that use coverage and radio information from multiple cells. The proposed strategies were evaluated on two large-scale datasets made available under an open-source license that include experimental data from multiple NB-IoT operators in two large cities: Oslo, Norway, and Rome, Italy. Results showed that the proposed strategies, using a combination of coverage and radio information from multiple cells, outperform current state-of-the-art approaches based on single cell fingerprinting, with a minimum average positioning error of about 20 m when using data for a single operator that was consistent across the two datasets vs. about 70 m for the current state-of-the-art approaches. The combination of data from multiple operators and data smoothing further improved positioning accuracy, leading to a minimum average positioning error below 15 m in both urban environments.
|
|
| 17. |
- Fida, Mah-Rukh, et al.
(author)
-
Demo : experimentation in controlled and operational LTE settings with FLEX-MONROE
- 2017
-
In: Proceedings of the 11th Workshop on Wireless Network Testbeds, Experimental evaluation & Characterization WiNTECH '17. - New York, NY, USA : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ; , s. 93-94
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This demo paper presents FLEX-MONROE, a platform that facilitates better understanding of current LTE Mobile Broadband(MBB) networks and enables performance improvementsby allowing experimentation with controllable LTE parameters. The platform enables investigating impact oflow-level network parameter tweaks in LTE infrastructure onthe application performance. We argue that FLEX-MONROEis crucial to provide guidelines on improving application performance both in the current and future MBB networks
|
|
| 18. |
- Hurtig, Per, 1980-, et al.
(author)
-
Low-Latency Scheduling in MPTCP
- 2019
-
In: IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking. - : IEEE. - 1063-6692 .- 1558-2566. ; 1, s. 302-315
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The demand for mobile communication is continuously increasing, and mobile devices are now the communication device of choice for many people. To guarantee connectivity and performance, mobile devices are typically equipped with multiple interfaces. To this end, exploiting multiple available interfaces is also a crucial aspect of the upcoming 5G standard for reducing costs, easing network management, and providing a good user experience. Multi-path protocols, such as multi-path TCP (MPTCP), can be used to provide performance optimization through load-balancing and resilience to coverage drops and link failures, however, they do not automatically guarantee better performance. For instance, low-latency communication has been proven hard to achieve when a device has network interfaces with asymmetric capacity and delay (e.g., LTE and WLAN). For multi-path communication, the data scheduler is vital to provide low latency, since it decides over which network interface to send individual data segments. In this paper, we focus on the MPTCP scheduler with the goal of providing a good user experience for latency-sensitive applications when interface quality is asymmetric. After an initial assessment of existing scheduling algorithms, we present two novel scheduling techniques: the block estimation (BLEST) scheduler and the shortest transmission time first (STTF) scheduler. BLEST and STTF are compared with existing schedulers in both emulated and real-world environments and are shown to reduce web object transmission times with up to 51% and provide 45% faster communication for interactive applications, compared with MPTCP's default scheduler.
|
|
| 19. |
- Kousias, Konstantinos, et al.
(author)
-
A Large-Scale Dataset of 4G, NB-IoT, and 5G Non-Standalone Network Measurements
- 2024
-
In: IEEE Communications Magazine. - : IEEE. - 0163-6804 .- 1558-1896. ; 62:5, s. 44-49
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mobile networks are highly complex systems. Therefore, it is crucial to examine them from an empirical perspective to better understand how network features affect performance, so to suggest additional improvements. To this aim, this paper presents a large-scale dataset of measurements collected over fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G) operational networks, providing Long Term Evolution (LTE), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), and 5G New Radio (NR) connectivity. We collected our dataset during seven weeks in Rome, Italy, by performing several tests on the infrastructures of two major mobile network operators (MNOs). The open-sourced dataset has enabled multi-faceted analyses of network deployment, coverage, and end-user performance, and can be further used for designing and testing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions for network optimization.
|
|
| 20. |
- Kousias, Konstantinos, et al.
(author)
-
Empirical performance analysis and ML-based modeling of 5G non-standalone networks
- 2024
-
In: Computer Networks. - : Elsevier. - 1389-1286 .- 1872-7069. ; 241
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fifth Generation (5G) networks are becoming the norm in the global telecommunications industry, and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are currently deploying 5G alongside their existing Fourth Generation (4G) networks. In this paper, we present results and insights from our large-scale measurement study on commercial 5G Non Standalone (NSA) deployments in a European country. We leverage the collected dataset, which covers two MNOs in Rome, Italy, to study network deployment and radio coverage aspects, and explore the performance of two use cases related to enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC). We further leverage a machine learning (ML)-based approach to model the Dual Connectivity (DC) feature enabled by 5G NSA. Our data-driven analysis shows that 5G NSA can provide higher downlink throughput and slightly lower latency compared to 4G. However, performance is influenced by several factors, including propagation conditions, system configurations, and handovers, ultimately highlighting the need for further system optimization. Moreover, by casting the DC modeling problem into a classification problem, we compare four supervised ML algorithms and show that a high model accuracy (up to 99%) can be achieved, in particular, when several radio coverage indicators from both access networks are used as input. Finally, we conduct analyses towards aiding the explainability of the ML models.
|
|
| 21. |
- Kumar, Pattiwar Shravan, et al.
(author)
-
DEAR : DRL Empowered Actor-Critic ScheduleR for Multipath QUIC Under 5G/B5G Hybrid Networks
- 2024
-
In: Advanced Information Networking and Applications. - : Springer. - 9783031578397 - 9783031578403 ; , s. 103-113
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recently, the Internet has experienced a substantial increase in the use of bandwidth-intensive applications due to the introduction of fifth generation (5G) and beyond 5G (B5G) systems. Empirical evidence has shown that multipath transport layer protocols such as multipath TCP (MPTCP) and multipath QUIC (MPQUIC) are successful in addressing the increasing need for higher bandwidth in the existing Internet infrastructure. Nevertheless, multipath schedulers still face difficulties in efficiently handling significant amounts of variability in diverse network scenarios. This paper introduces, Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) Empowered Actor-critic scheduleR, DEAR, a method designed for multipath QUIC in 5G/B5G hybrid networks. DEAR is developed utilising a DRL based actor critic methodology. This approach significantly improves the decision-making abilities of the scheduler in various rapidly changing network scenarios. We conducted experiments with the DEAR scheduler in several network settings, encompassing networks with rapidly fluctuating bandwidth, networks with rapid and short-term fluctuations, and networks experiencing progressive outages. We also conducted tests on the DEAR algorithm using the Lumos5G dataset, which consists of real network traces from two distinct service providers. We have performed a comparative analysis of DEAR with other state-of-the-art multipath schedulers, including another scheduler based on RL, Peekaboo, and other non-RL rule-based schedulers such as round robin (RR), earliest completion first (ECF), blocking estimation (BLEST), and minimum round trip time (minRTT). Our evaluation demonstrates DEAR’s superior performance compared to existing algorithms. In scenarios with fast-changing bandwidth, DEAR outperforms rule-based schedulers by 42.30% and Peekaboo by 17.77%. Similarly, in networks with fast short-scale variations, DEAR achieves gains of 22.22% over rule-based schedulers and 6.06% over Peekaboo. Moreover, in networks facing progressive outage and recovery, DEAR showcases gains of 13.90% over rule-based schedulers and 8.79% over Peekaboo.
|
|
| 22. |
- Mandalari, Anna Maria, et al.
(author)
-
Experience: Implications of Roaming in Europe
- 2018
-
In: MobiCom '18. Proceedings of the 24th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking. - New York, USA : ACM Publications. - 9781450359030 ; , s. 179-189
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- "Roam like Home" is the initiative of the European Commission (EC) to end the levy of extra charges when roaming within the European region. As a result, people are able to use data services more freely across Europe. However, the implications roaming solutions have on performance have not been carefully examined. This paper provides an in-depth characterization of the implications of international data roaming within Europe. We build a unique roaming measurement platform using 16 different mobile networks deployed in six countries across Europe. Using this platform, we measure different aspects of international roaming in 3G and 4G networks, including mobile network configuration, performance characteristics, and content discrimination. We find that operators adopt common approaches to implementing roaming, resulting in additional latency penalties of ∼60 ms or more, depending on geographical distance. Considering content accessibility, roaming poses additional constraints that leads to only minimal deviations when accessing content in the original country. However, geographical restrictions in the visited country make the picture more complicated and less intuitive.
|
|
| 23. |
- Parastar, Paniz, et al.
(author)
-
Spotlight on 5G : Performance, device evolution and challenges from a mobile operator perspective
- 2023
-
In: IEEE INFOCOM 2023. - New York : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. - 9798350334142 ; , s. 1-10
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Fifth Generation (5G) has been acknowledged as a significant shift in cellular networks, expected to run significantly different classes of services and do so with outstanding performance in terms of low latency, high capacity, and extreme reliability. Managing the resulting complexity of mobile network architectures will depend on making efficient decisions at all network levels based on end-user requirements. However, to achieve this, it is critical to first understand the current mobile ecosystem and capture the device heterogeneity, which is one of the major challenges for ensuring the successful exploitation of 5G technologies.In this paper, we conduct a large-scale measurement study of a commercial mobile operator in the UK, focusing on bringing forward a real-world view on the available network resources, as well as how more than 30M end-user devices utilize the mobile network. We focus on the current status of the 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) deployment and the network-level performance and show how it caters to the prominent use cases that 5G promises to support. Finally, we demonstrate that a fine-granular set of requirements is, in fact, necessary to orchestrate the service to the diverse groups of 5G devices, some of which operate in permanent roaming.
|
|
| 24. |
- Peón-Quirós, Miguel, et al.
(author)
-
Results from Running an Experiment as a Service Platform for Mobile Networks
- 2017
-
In: WiNTECH '17 Proceedings of the 11th Workshop on Wireless Network Testbeds, Experimental evaluation & CHaracterization. - New York, USA : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781450351478 ; , s. 9-16
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper we present a selection from a vast range of experiments run with MONROE, our experiment as a service platform open to external researchers. We show that the platform can be used to benchmark network performance in a repeatable and controlled manner thanks to the collection of a rich set of geotagged metadata and the execution of discretionary user experiments. Indeed, with the sheer amount of data collected from 12 commercial mobile operators across Europe, MONROE offers an unprecedented opportunity to monitor, analyze and ultimately improve the status of current and future mobile broadband networks. We also show how flexibly the platform allows combining metadata and experimental data series during the experiments or by means of post-processing, and show results produced by our own experiments as well as by external research groups and developers that have been granted access to the platform
|
|
| 25. |
- Rabitsch, Alexander, et al.
(author)
-
Extending Network Slice Management to the End-host
- 2021
-
In: ACM SIGCOMM 2021 Workshop on 5G Measurements, Modeling, and Use Cases (5G-MeMU), August 23, 2021.. - 1601 Broadway, 10th Floor New York, NY 10019-7434 : ACM Digital Library. ; , s. 20-26
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The network slicing concept of 5G aims to provide the flexibility and scalability required to support a wide array of vertical services. To coordinate the coexistence of network slices, and to guarantee that the required resources are available for each one of them, the 5G core employs a slicing management entity, a slice manager. In this paper, we propose an architecture where the network slicing concept is extended beyond the core and access networks to also include the configuration of the UE’s network stack.We exploit the slice manager’s global view on the network to feed fine-grained information on slice configuration, health, and status to the UE. This information, together with local policies on the UE, is then used to dynamically create services tailored to the requirements of individual applications. We implement this architecture in a 5G testbed, and show how it can be leveraged in order to enable optimized services through dynamic network protocol configuration, application-to-slice mapping, and network protocol selection.
|
|
