Control Channel Design for Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications in 5G Networks

The fifth generation (5G) of wireless systems holds a promise of supporting a wide range of services with different communication requirements. Ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) is the name of a generic service that enables mission-critical applications, such as industrial automation, augmented reality, and vehicular communications. URLLC has stringent requirements in terms of availability, reliability, and latency, both for control information and data. These requirements bring a number of challenges that should be considered for designing the 5G new radio (NR). This article presents the reliability requirements for delivering the control information associated with URLLC. Furthermore, relevant solutions are introduced to meet the stringent reliability constraints. One such solution is the flexible frame structure used to detect a failure in delivering the control information at the early stage, thereby allowing timely retransmission of the control information.