User-assisted bearer split control for dual connectivity in multi-RAT 5G networks

• Published in: Wireless networks Vol. 26; no. 5; pp. 3675 - 3685
• Main Authors: Antonioli, Roberto P., Guerreiro, Igor M., Sousa, Diego Aguiar, Rodrigues, Emanuel Bezerra, e Silva, Carlos F. M., Maciel, Tarcísio Ferreira, Cavalcanti, Francisco Rodrigo Porto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.07.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: 5G mobile communication; Algorithms; Communications Engineering; Computer Communication Networks; Computer simulation; Control algorithms; Control theory; Electrical Engineering; Engineering; Flow control; IT in Business; Networks; Traffic delay; User satisfaction; Wireless networks; 5G mobile networks; User assistance; Dual connectivity; Flow control algorithm
• ISSN: 1022-0038; 1572-8196
• DOI: 10.1007/s11276-020-02283-6

One of the most important functionalities for the dual connectivity (DC) technology in non-stand-alone (NSA) fifth generation (5G) networks is the flow control algorithm (FCA), which has the role of correctly splitting the data traffic of users in DC. However, delays in backhaul links and the time between two executions of the FCA may limit the effectiveness of the split ratios computed by the FCA in situations where unexpected channel variations or an increase in the traffic load happen. In this context, we propose a heuristic mechanism where the user assists the FCA in performing a faster and finer adjustment of the bearer split ratios. The proposed mechanism works based on a single scalar value and can be combined with any existing FCA. Besides the adjustment of the bearer split ratios, the proposed mechanism may also trigger handover/disconnection when it detects problems in one of the user connections, which is a novel feature that is not present in existing solutions. Simulations demonstrate the gains provided by the proposed mechanism in terms of user satisfaction, total system rate and user throughput.