Virtual Cells for 5G V2X Communications

Abstract

The virtual cell (VC) is an emergent concept in cellular networks that shifts the base-station-centric point of view to a user-centric one. Instead of a single base station, VCs consist of a number of transmission points with an association pattern that is created for, and moves with, every user in the network. A particularly challenging application of VCs is that of V2X communications, where V2X messages are broadcast to groups of vehicles. In this scenario, a VC is not created for a single device but for hotspots that move over time. In this article, we present a realization of the VC concept for V2X broadcast groups. The proposed solution consists of three optimization stages, which are admission control, transmission weight selection, and power control.