Device-to-device communications in cellular networks

TLDR

Device‑to‑device communication allows nearby users to exchange signals directly, boosting spectral and energy efficiency, reducing delay, offloading base‑station traffic, and easing core‑network congestion, but requires solutions for discovery, session setup, resource allocation, MIMO, and heterogeneous‑network deployment. The article surveys D2D communications, identifies key research topics, and highlights challenges. It introduces basic D2D concepts and reviews foundational works on the technology.

Abstract

Device-to-device communications enable two proximity users to transmit signal directly without going through the base station. It can increase network spectral efficiency and energy efficiency, reduce transmission delay, offload traffic for the BS, and alleviate congestion in the cellular core networks. However, many technical challenges need to be addressed for D2D communications to harvest the potential benefits, including device discovery and D2D session setup, D2D resource allocation to guarantee QoS, D2D MIMO transmission, as well as D2D-aided BS deployment in heterogeneous networks. In this article, the basic concepts of D2D communications are first introduced, and then existing fundamental works on D2D communications are discussed. In addition, some potential research topics and challenges are also identified.