Overview of 3GPP new radio industrial IoT solutions

Abstract

In this chapter we present a compact overview of the 3GPP designed New Radio (NR) system with emphasis on the Radio Access Network (RAN) part, and related innovations that enable mission critical communication for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) including the use of 5G seamlessly in an Industrial Ethernet scenario. We focus on Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC), including its evolution towards enhanced URLLC (eURLLC), and Time-Sensitive Communications (TSC). The chapter is organized by first shortly introducing the addressed IIoT use cases and requirements addressed by the NR (e)URLLC and TSC enablers. To understand how 5G enables wireline-like performance while retaining the flexibility of wireless deployment, we then provide a brief overview of the NR RAN protocol stack and architecture options followed by a summary of main enablers for (e)URLLC in 3GPP NR Release-15 and 16. Then, the seamless integration of 5G into an IIoT factory setup with TSC is explained and main enablers introduced in 3GPP NR Release-16 are introduced. Finally, the chapter is closed with an outlook of further enhancements being considered for Release-17 standardization. Throughout the chapter, we provide pointers to the most relevant 3GPP Technical Reports (TRs) and Technical Specifications (TS), as well as selected publications where more details can be found.