Title
Rethink fronthaul for soft RAN
Abstract
In this article we discuss the design of a new fronthaul interface for future 5G networks. The major shortcomings of current fronthaul solutions are first analyzed, and then a new fronthaul interface called next-generation fronthaul interface (NGFI) is proposed. The design principles for NGFI are presented, including decoupling the fronthaul bandwidth from the number of antennas, decoupling cell and user equipment processing, and focusing on high-performancegain collaborative technologies. NGFI aims to better support key 5G technologies, in particular cloud RAN, network functions virtualization, and large-scale antenna systems. NGFI claims the advantages of reduced bandwidth as well as improved transmission efficiency by exploiting the tidal wave effect on mobile network traffic. The transmission of NGFI is based on Ethernet to enjoy the benefits of flexibility and reliability. The major impact, challenges, and potential solutions of Ethernet-based fronthaul networks are also analyzed. Jitter, latency, and time and frequency synchronization are the major issues to overcome.
Year
DOI
Venue
2015
10.1109/MCOM.2015.7263350
IEEE Communications Magazine
Keywords
Field
DocType
network functions virtualization,bandwidth allocation,next generation networks,5g networks,ethernet,synchronization,collaboration
Synchronization,Computer science,Bandwidth allocation,Computer network,Bandwidth (signal processing),Ethernet,User equipment,Cellular network,Jitter,Cloud computing
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
53
9
0163-6804
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
25
1.25
5
Authors
6
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Chih-Lin I12167211.25
Yannan Yuan2251.25
Jinri Huang3894.58
Shijia Ma4251.25
Chunfeng Cui5251.25
Ran Duan638735.90