Flexible and Efficient Deployment of NB-IoT and LTE-MTC in Coexistence with 5G New Radio

Abstract

This paper addresses the coexistence of Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) or Long Term Evolution for Machine-Type Communications (LTE-MTC, a.k.a. LTE-M) on one hand, and the 5th generation (5G) New Radio access (NR) on the other. We propose an effective scheme which maintains resource efficiency and prevents mutual interference, by optimally placing an NB-IoT or LTE-M carrier inside an NR carrier. Our scheme enables the deployment on the same spectrum of NR for mobile broadband and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) services and NB-IoT or LTE-M for IoT services. We analyze the problem of subcarrier grid and resource block alignments in the coexistence of NR with NB-IoT and LTE-M carriers. Finally, we provide comprehensive results on the optimal locations of NB-IoT and LTE-M which are deployed inside NR for various NR channel bandwidths.