Multi-Dimensional Resource Management in 5G Networks
23 January 2017
Increased demand for mobile broadband services is driving densification of mobile networks through 4G small cells while spectrum scarcity demands deployment in newer bands including shared unlicensed spectrum. Concurrently, new requirements from vertical industries drive the development of 5G, envisioned not only as a new Radio Access Technology (RAT) but a seam-less interwoven network of multi-dimensional resources, i.e., multiple RATs deployed in multiple cell layers each with multiple beams in one or more frequency bands. The multi-dimensionality presents multiple degrees of freedom (in the RATs, layers, spectra and beam dimensions) to be leveraged for optimal network performance and user experience. This paper discusses the resource management challenges and opportunities that accrue from the higher degrees of freedom. It evaluates three challenges from both radio and network resource management perspectives, and for each, discusses candidate solution ideas that could be exploited.
