CD Laboratory for Dependable Wireless Connectivity for the Society in Motion

People and, increasingly, vehicles will access mobile networks more and more frequently while on the move. The aim of this CD Laboratory is to develop mobile networks that can efficiently and reliably serve this highly mobile mode of use.

More and more people are using their mobile devices while travelling. However, in today's fourth-generation mobile networks, such users often have to put up with inadequate service quality, as these networks are not designed to efficiently support a large number of users with relatively high mobility. This problem will be exacerbated in the future as not only people will use mobile services, but also means of transport such as cars, buses and trains. These will provide connectivity for their users and communicate with each other autonomously, exchanging safety-critical information in real time. The aim of this CD Laboratory is therefore to develop technologies and methods for fifth-generation mobile networks that allow a large number of (human and machine) users with very high mobility to be served efficiently and reliably. The current Internet is based on so-called "best effort" services, whereby incoming transmission requests are served as quickly as possible and within the framework of the resources available to the network operator. Overloads lead to interruptions and transmission delays and possibly loss of information. However, reliable and immediate data transmission is essential to enable safety-relevant communication via mobile networks, such as the autonomous exchange of traffic and safety-relevant information between self-driving cars. Accordingly, the overall goal of this project is to significantly improve the quality of service of a large number of fast-moving users in mobile networks that also serve numerous static users. To achieve this goal, new transmit/receive methods and technologies at the signal transmission level (physical layer) are being researched and, based on this, efficient algorithms for resource allocation and coordination of network nodes at the system level are being designed. Various heterogeneous network structures are being investigated, consisting on the one hand of macro base stations to ensure basic connectivity and on the other hand of so-called small cells, distributed antennas and relay nodes to maximise the efficiency and reliability of the mobile network. The results and insights gained will help to realise the vision of a wirelessly connected society on the move.