5G radio network architecture
This white paper is an outcome of the Radio Access and Spectrum cluster
projects funded by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework
Programme in the area of Future Networks. It presents a view from the
European research community on the architecture aspects of 5G mobile and
wireless communication systems.
1. Introduction
The use of mobile communication networks has increased significantly in the past decades, in
terms of complexity of applications, their required capacities, and heterogeneity of device types.
So far, this trend has always been met by significant technological advancements and will
continue to increase. By 2020, Europe has to pave the way for a new generation of converged
wired and wireless communication networks, which has to be developed and deployed to move
forward to a future networked society. In this white paper, we present our perspective on such a
5G radio access network and focus especially on the arising challenges and new technologies
that enable us to meet these challenges.
Looking back at the development of 3G (UMTS, HSPA) and 4G (LTE, LTE-Advanced) it is clear
that these generations of mobile networks focused on creating new physical radio transmission
schemes in order to meet new capacity requirements. From our point of view, 5G networks
should consider both wireless and wired parts targeting a fully integrated solution. Furthermore,
in order to address the user-oriented challenges, we foresee a continued evolution of existing
functions, e.g., network densification into ultra-dense networks and device-to-device
communications, as well as development of new functions such as moving networks and
massive machine communications. This requires auto-integration and self-management
capabilities well beyond today’s self-organising network features, which have to be reflected in
the architectural layer to achieve their full potential. Additionally, ultra-reliable communications put
very stringent latency and reliability requirements on the architecture.