This Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR) project brings together major companies and universities in the development of a wireless communications ecosystem to commercialize breakthrough technologies that promise to increase the capacity of today's wireless cellular networks by over 1000 times. Specifically, three existing technologies will be relied upon to create a prototype stage for integration by wireless handset makers and infrastructure providers as well as incorporation into next-generation cellular standards. These technologies are: (i) millimeter-wave (mmWave) cellular systems that can move cellular communication to new bands between 20 and 120 GHz where between 50 and 100 times more spectrum are readily available; (ii) relaying and distributed coordination techniques to enable ultra low-cost small, self-organizing cells that increase the numbers of cell sites by orders of magnitude; and (iii) full duplex communication that can double communication bandwidth and facilitate beamforming techniques essential for mmWave cellular systems.
Given the enormous market size of the cellular industry ($1 trillion worldwide), combined with the pressing need for solutions to solve the spectrum crunch, the breakthrough technologies in this proposal will offer tremendous market value, return on investment, and opportunities for employment. This AIR project provides a path for both industry and academia to develop key products and knowledge that will impact the standard-setting process of the wireless industry, while bringing massive increases in data throughputs to cellular networks throughout the U.S.
? The goal of this project is to increase the capacity of today?s 4G wireless cellular networks by over 1000 times through the use of above 20GHz (millimeter waves) spectrum and full duplex radios that allow radios to transmit and receive at the same time. ? Until recently, the prevailing assumption was that mobile service in higher frequency bands was infeasible because radio waves at those frequencies could only provide only line-of-sight service. Our measurements study at 28 and 73 GHz demonstrate that these new frequencies hold potential far beyond what experts had expected. The measurement data indicates the feasibility of mmWave cellular networks, which has now brought in a large number of companies (Qualcomm, Intel, Ericsson, NSN, etc) into the field. ? On October 17, 2014, the FCC decided to explore the feasibility and implementation of high-frequency radio waves in the millimeter-wave spectrum through a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) (www.fcc.gov/document/noi-examine-use-bands-above-24-ghz-mobile-broadband) . NYU's groundbreaking research sponsored by this funding has been instrumental in the Federal Communications Commission?s decision. ? The team showed a high-level system design for introducing mmWave radios into next-generation LTE cellular standards, and estimated the network capacity based on the real-world measurement data. We also demonstrated the first LTE-like waveform transmissions on mmWave band using National Instrument?s radio platform. ? We finished a study on the feasibility study on the full duplex operations on cellular systems. We observe that, with smart use of channel resources allocation and interference mitigation methods, full duplex transmission has the potential to double the capacity of existing cellular systems. ? Throughout the project period, we have been working closely with our industry partners, including Asension (full-duplex radio frequency front-end design), InterDigital (which develops wireless technologies for mobile devices and networks), National Instruments (testing equipment) and Verizon (mobile network operator), which represent the entire innovation chain in the wireless industry. ?After the project started, several new industrial affiliates, including Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Qualcomm, and StraightPath, joined NYU-Wireless center to develop millimeter wave technology. ? NYU has been recognized at the forefront of 5G research. The team hosted two Brooklyn 5G Summit conferences, which brings together wireless/mobile industry R&D leaders in academia and business to discuss trends, aimed at discovering what will be the best ways to take the first steps towards understanding 5G wireless technologies.? ?
