loading page

Improving 5G Performance in Critical Environments through MPTCP
  • +3
  • Andrea Gentili ,
  • Seppo Horsmanheimo ,
  • Lotta Tuomimäki ,
  • Petri Hyvärinen ,
  • Heli Kokkoniemi-Tarkkanen ,
  • Ijaz Ahmad
Andrea Gentili
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Seppo Horsmanheimo
Author Profile
Lotta Tuomimäki
Author Profile
Petri Hyvärinen
Author Profile
Heli Kokkoniemi-Tarkkanen
Author Profile
Ijaz Ahmad
Author Profile

Abstract

The 5G networks revolutionize industrial connectivity, offering reliable, low-latency, and high-bandwidth communication for diverse critical environments, including mining. However, the current uplink capacity of 5G poses limitations for transmitting large data volumes, necessitating the exploration of concurrent wireless solutions. To address this, our paper proposes leveraging a Wi-Fi mesh network in conjunction with 5G and a Multipath Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP) scheduler. To do so, we deploy a test network in a tunnel able to serve 5G as well as mesh Wi-Fi. We then evaluate how a moving vehicle equipped with a connectivity unit can take advantage of both networks even in challenging conditions by turning off part of the 5G base stations. Ultimately, we demonstrate that employing Wi-Fi and MPTCP can augment 5G in scenarios with limited uplink capacity or unreliable coverage.