SIMCT: Spatial simulation of urban evolution to test resilience of 5G cellular networks

Abstract

A continuing growth in the demand for faster cellular networks is driving the development of the forthcoming fifth generation of wireless networks, namely 5G. In comparison to previous generations of cellular networks, 5G networks have higher data-transfer rates, with low latency. However, increasing the data-transfer rate requires using high-frequency transmissions, which are susceptible to interference by obstacles like buildings and trees. Deployment of 5G networks, especially in urban areas, must take such obstacles into account when installing new antennas. It is required to carefully select antenna locations, in order to guarantee high coverage and reliability of the cellular network. Since cities often change, it is desirable to take potential urban growth into account when planing a cellular network. This requires simulating urban evolution and testing the effect of changes on optional deployments. This paper presents a tool for simulating urban changes and cellular transmissions, to test the spatial resilience of 5G networks. We show how to specify urban developments and test the effect of changes on cellular coverage. We explain how the approach can be implemented effectively over PostgreSQL/PostGIS, and illustrate it using real urban data from OpenStreetMap.