On Integrated Access and Backhaul Networks: Current Status and Potentials
Journal article, 2020

In this article, we introduce and study the potentials and challenges of integrated access and backhaul (IAB) as one of the promising techniques for evolving 5G networks. We study IAB networks from different perspectives. We summarize the recent Rel-16 as well as the upcoming Rel-17 3GPP discussions on IAB, and highlight the main IAB-specific agreements on different protocol layers. Also, concentrating on millimeter wave-based communications, we evaluate the performance of IAB networks in both dense and suburban areas. Using a finite stochastic geometry model, with random distributions of IAB nodes as well as user equipments (UEs) in a finite region, we study the service coverage rate defined as the probability of the event that the UEs' minimum rate requirements are satisfied. We present comparisons between IAB and hybrid IAB/fiber-backhauled networks where a part or all of the small base stations are fiber-connected. Finally, we study the robustness of IAB networks to weather and various deployment conditions and verify their effects, such as blockage, tree foliage, rain as well as antenna height/gain on the coverage rate of IAB setups, as the key differences between the fiber-connected and IAB networks. As we show, IAB is an attractive approach to enable the network densification required by 5G and beyond.

Poisson point process

FITU-R

IAB

tree foliage

wireless backhaul

stochastic geometry

5G NR

blockage

relay

coverage probability

rain

Integrated access and backhaul

3GPP

densification

germ-grain model

ITU-R

millimeter wave (mmWave) communications

Author

Charitha Madapatha Madapathage Don

Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Communication, Antennas and Optical Networks

Behrooz Makki

Ericsson

Chao Fang

Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Communication, Antennas and Optical Networks

Oumer Teyeb

Ericsson

Erik Dahlman

Ericsson

Mohamed-Slim Alouini

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Tommy Svensson

Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Communication, Antennas and Optical Networks

IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society

2644125X (eISSN)

Vol. 1 1374-1389

Subject Categories

Computer Engineering

Telecommunications

Communication Systems

DOI

10.1109/OJCOMS.2020.3022529

More information

Latest update

1/3/2024 9