Cloud radio access network: Virtualizing wireless access for dense heterogeneous systems

• Published in: Journal of communications and networks Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 135 - 149
• Main Authors: Simeone, Osvaldo, Maeder, Andreas, Mugen Peng, Sahin, Onur, Wei Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul Editorial Department of Journal of Communications and Networks 01.04.2016; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE); 한국통신학회
• Subjects: Backhaul; Baseband; Bit rate; Cloud computing; cloud radio access network (C-RAN); cloud radio access networks; common public radio interface (CPRI); fronthaul; Quantization (signal); radio resource management; Uplink; Wireless access points; Wireless communication; 전자/정보통신공학
• ISSN: 1229-2370; 1976-5541
• DOI: 10.1109/JCN.2016.000023

Cloud radio access network (C-RAN) refers to the visualization of base station functionalities by means of cloud computing. This results in a novel cellular architecture in which low-cost wireless access points, known as radio units or remote radio heads, are centrally managed by a reconfigurable centralized "cloud", or central, unit. C-RAN allows operators to reduce the capital and operating expenses needed to deploy and maintain dense heterogeneous networks. This critical advantage, along with spectral efficiency, statistical multiplexing and load balancing gains, make C-RAN well positioned to be one of the key technologies in the development of 5G systems. In this paper, a succinct overview is presented regarding the state of the art on the research on C-RAN with emphasis on fronthaul compression, baseband processing, medium access control, resource allocation, system-level considerations and standardization efforts.