Enhanced Energy Efficiency and Scalability in Cellular Networks for Massive IoT

Abstract

The significant expansion of cellular networks has increased their potential to support a wide range of use cases beyond their original purpose of providing broadband access. One such development is using cellular networks to support the Internet of Things (IoT), called Cellular IoT (CIoT). The growth of CIoT is an important trend in the evolution of cellular networks, it leads to broader and more comprehensive ecosystem circumstances. The extensive IoT business evolution is transforming a diverse sector, including health, smart cities, security, and agriculture. Nevertheless, a large scale with very different characteristics and use cases struggle with connectivity challenges due to the unique traffic features of massive IoT and the tremendous density of IoT devices. This study aims to identify the critical obstacles that hinder the widespread deployment of IoT over cellular networks and suggest an innovative algorithm to mitigate them effectively. We discovered that the primary challenges revolve around three specific areas: connection setup, network resource management, and energy consumption. In this regard, we investigate the integration of massive Machine-Type Communication (mMTC) into cellular networks, focusing on the performance of Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) in supporting mMTC.