LTE-U and WiFi coexistence in the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum: A survey

Abstract

This paper addresses the channel occupation and the channel selection problem for the Long Term Evolution Unlicensed (LTE-U) technology when coexisting with the WiFi system on the unlicensed spectrum (typically the 5 GHz band). For instance, LTE is a communication standard developed by the 3GPP corporation based on the GSM/EDGE and the UMTP/HSPA technologies and conceived for high-spaced wireless communications. If we focus on LTE-U, it is an extension of the LTE-A (LTE-Advanced) scheme in unlicensed bands. In this paper, we will discuss the coexistence matters between the WiFi and LTE-U technologies. Therefore, we review the different solutions discussed in literature that addressed the coexistence issue. These works are either based on fair spectrum allocation between LTE-U and WiFi technologies or on the game theory paradigm where multi channel access and inter-dependance scenarios are discussed. As a future work, we intend to further investigate the coexistence issues between LTE-U and WiFi systems, especially in the case of inter-dependance scenarios and other configurations including hidden/exposed terminal problem in WiFi networks.