This research presents a power control method for proximity services (ProSe)-enabled sensors to enable the sensors to be seamlessly incorporated into 5G mobile networks. 5G networks are expected to create an enabling environment for 21st-century advancements such as the internet of things (IoT). Sensors are crucial in the internet of things. A power control strategy involving two power control mechanisms is proposed in this research work: an open loop power control (OLPC) mechanism that can be used by a ProSe-enabled sensor to establish communication with a base station (BS) and a closed loop power control (CLPC) mechanism that can be used by a BS to establish the transmit power levels for devices involved in a device to device (D2D) communication. Several studies have proposed power control strategies to mitigate interference in D2D-enabled mobile networks, but none has attempted to address the interference caused by ProSe-enabled sensors communicating with smart phones and 5G BSs.
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In a survey conducted by Ericsson in 2017, 92% of executives in charge of at least 100 of the world's leading telecommunication providers are in agreement that 5G paves the way for a significant number of future technologies. The 5G infrastructure largely serves as a basis for heterogeneous wireless networks, allowing for seamless connectivity that stimulates the growth of smart cities around the world. On the other hand, substantial advancements in hardware manufacturing techniques (Bhushan & Sahoo, 2018) have led to the development of small battery-powered sensors that can connect and communicate with some 5G elements in a D2D manner. These sensors, according to Rathee, Ahuja, and Nayyar (2019), can expand interconnection thanks to IoT. Figure 1 shows ProSe-enabled devices that have ProSe applications running on them.
Figure 1. Adding a ProSe-enabled sensor to the architecture. Adapted from 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Organisational Partners (2017).
As seen in Figure 1, a few new interfaces have been developed, the most significant of which are PC3 and PC5 (3GPP 2017:13). Table 1 summarises the functions of these interfaces.
Table 1. | Interface | Function |
| PC3 | This is the interface used by UEs to connect to a ProSe Function |
| PC5 | This interface can be used by UEs or devices like sensors to connect directly to each other in a D2D |
ProSe-enabled devices can communicate with a ProSe Function by using PC3 to collect information for network-related tasks, as shown in Figure 1. ProSe-enabled devices can use PC3 to request permission from a BS to participate in a D2D session. However, this direct connection comes at a cost to overall 5G QoS. When external devices, such as ProSe sensors (3GPP, 2014), communicate directly within an underlying 5G network, the following sorts of interference develop, according to Mach, Becvar, and Vanek (2015). The following types of interference arise:
The above interferences pose significant threats to cellular networks, prompting numerous researchers to seek solutions to the resulting interference. The following interference management schemes have been identified, according to Mwashita & Odhiambo (2018):
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Resource allocation interference management schemes.
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Power control interference management schemes.
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Retransmission interference management schemes.