Leveraging MMWAVE Technology for Mobile Broadband/Internet of Things

Abstract

Today, almost every individual possesses at least one internet-connected device. According to Cisco, there were over 12.5 billion devices in 2010 alone. It has been predicted that 25 billion devices will be connected by 2015, and 50 billion devices by 2020; all contributing towards the Internet of Things (IoT). This rapid increase exposes the obvious need for enhancements in various underlying technologies. IPv6 for example, has been developed to provide 340 undecillion IP addresses, and 3GPP LTE and its further enhancements provides impressive high bitrates cost-efficiently. That been said, there is still a limit on the amount of data that can go through a frequency channel. Therefore, the surge in demand for data by the billions of devices emphasizes the need to re-visit spectrum planning. Beginning with a review on the success of unlicensed spectrum operations, this work looks into the potentials of complementing the licensed frequency bands with unlicensed by tapping into the advantages of millimeter wave access technology.