Massive Machine Type Communication

1. 5G Technology (sciencemediahub.eu)

2. Massive Machine-Type
Communication

3. Massive Machine-Type Communication
• Imagine a scenario in which many devices are connected and communicating with each other,
for instance in a manufacturing plant. Here, one machine tells another which parts are
required for completing the next steps in the process, or it communicates which procedures
are needed to complete an order. (Supply chain.)
• This is already the reality for some manufacturing companies, and with 5G this can be
enhanced and implemented more widely.
• Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC) is a new service category of 5G that can
support an extremely high connection density of online devices. Through
the mMTC connections, devices can talk to one another by intermittently transmitting small
amounts of traffic. It is designed for the scalable and efficient connectivity of a massive
number of devices sending very short packets, which cannot be adequately done in cellular
systems designed for human-type communications. One of the main application areas of 5G
will therefore likely be in IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication.
Sources:
Bockelmann, Pratas, Nikour and Au, 2016, Massive Machine-type Communications in 5G: Physical
and MAC-layer solutions
Wang and Ma, 2019, Introduction on Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC)

4. Three Services from 5G: Massive
Machine Type Communications

5. • According to Gartner, 20.4 billion IoT devices will be in use worldwide by 2020, and more
than 65 percent of enterprises will adopt IoT products. IoT devices are expected to
generate more than half of the world’s data by 2025 according to IDC. Considering the
current growth of the Internet and the arrival of eMBB in 5G, transmitting that IoT data
will require 5G wireless capacity that is three orders of magnitude greater than the
existing 4G networks to avoid overloading the network.
• In part 1 of the “Three Services from 5G” blog series, I covered the three key features of
5G that are outlined in the 3GPP Release 15 specification:
• Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), which involves capacity enhancements
• Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), which has exacting requirements on latency
and reliability
• Massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC), which provides connections to large numbers of
devices that intermittently transmit small amounts of traffic.

6. • In part 1, I also discussed how eMBB can improve video conferencing and
advance new services like augmented reality and virtual reality. In part 2 of this
series, I addressed latency and reliability through the URLLC service which would
allow web scale companies to set up the network services they need to match
their newer application services.
• Now I’m going to address the opportunities and challenges related to massive
machine type communications (mMTC).

7. 5G supports these features:
• High density of devices (about 200000 in 1M sq. km)
• Low data rate (approx. 1-100 Kbps, esp. uplink)
• Asynchronous access (accessing the network sporadically)
• Low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints with long life battery (potentially more than 10 years)
• Cost efficiency
• Low power consumption
• Long time availability
Three Services from 5G: Massive Machine Type Communications - Cisco Blogs

8. Enhanced Mobile Broadband

9. Enhanced Mobile Broadband
• The abbreviation eMBB stands for Enhanced Mobile Broadband. 4G
networks already make use of it in a rudimentary form. It is the first step to
make the transition towards the IMT-2020 standard (5G).
• eMBB allow high data transmission rates, such as the streaming of high-
resolution videos, AR/VR or online gaming. Under the hood MIMO
antennas, Network Slicing using software and high frequency ranges
enable this service.
• The consumer market in the area of multimedia and professional
applications such as mobile working or networked computing as well as
verticals such as industry 4.0 or new work are beneficiaries of eMBB . As
one of the first phases of the 5G rollout it is standardised in the 3GPP
Release 15.

10. Sources:
• IMT-2020 standard
• 3GPP Release 15
• 5G-NR workplan for eMBB
• 5G.co.uk What is enhanced Mobile Broadband
• 5G Wireless Network Slicing for eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC
• Channel coding for enhanced mobile broadband communication in
5G systems

11. Enhanced Mobile Broadband

12. Network slicing
• Future 5G networks will be able to define different 'slices' (layers)
within the network, which can be optimised for specific use cases.
One slice may, for example, be ideal for mobile data traffic, another
optimised for small sensors, and a final layer set aside for emergency
services.
• The speed of a mobile network is dependent on different parameters,
such as latency, data speeds, or the number of devices in an area.
Within a slice, an operator can customise these parameters for a
specific use case or vertical.

14. Possible use-cases include:
• Emergency services: currently, emergency services often use a separate, dedicated mobile network as regular
telecom networks tend to go down during disasters. If people start using the network in large numbers, to call
relatives for example, the increase in demand can lead to less availability. Under 5G, emergency services could
however receive a dedicated slice operating on top of the regular telecom network, which would be very
reliable.
• eHealth: a 5G slice could connect an ambulance with health wearables of first responders, and then could even
allow for remote video assistance between hospital doctors and first responders. A very reliable slice that could
send high-quality footage would be key here, which is a use case being explored by the SLICENET project.
• Smart cities: a city could operate its own slice within a mobile network for smart city services, such as using
wireless cameras and sensors to monitor traffic or waste management.
• Neutral host: in some cases, network slicing even allows a wholly new operating model for mobile networks.
The 5GCity project, for example, supported the Italian city of Lucca in setting up their own mobile networks in
the city centre. Most slices of this network are rented out to mobile operators (the typical owners of mobile
infrastructure), while a slice is retained for smart city services. The owner of the mobile infrastructure thus
becomes 'neutral'.
• Industry 4.0: factories are increasingly monitoring and even remotely controlling machines through
connections, yet this sometimes requires very quick reaction speeds from the network (e.g. for operating very
precise machinery). In the future, an operator might rent out a very low latency slice to a factory for connecting
such machines.

15. Sources:
• Barakabitze, Ahmad, Mijumbi, Hines 5G network slicing using SDN
and NFV: A survey of taxonomy, architectures and future challenges
• GSMA, 2017, An Introduction to Network Slicing
• EENA 2019, 5G Technology in Emergency Services
• Slicenet, 5G eHealth Smart / Connected Ambulance Use Case
• Horizon Magazine, 2019, How 5G could democratise the telecoms
industry

16. Key Services

17. Key Services
• The application profiles for new mobile telecommunication networks are defined by
the 3GPP and the ITU. For 5G technology there are 3 main categories in which it shall improve
on the network services of previous generations. These are:
• Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)
• Ultra-reliable low latency communication (uRLLC)
• Massive machine-type communication (mMTC)
• To achieve each of these services, a variety of new technologies are being deployed. In the
first step eMBB will help to augment peak data rates, spectral efficiency and area traffic
capacity. Together with uRLLC latency and mobility interruption time will in a next step fall
close to zero. Finally, mMTC adds on to vastly improve connection density – finally achieving
all requirements for full 5G, which follow the IMT-2020 standard.
• These Key Services must not be confused with OTT (over the top) services like streaming
portals or other apps for tablets or smartphones. Those use the infrastructure of mobile
communication networks but are not inherently built into them.