Fractional-Time Exploitation for Serving IoT Users with Guaranteed QoS by 5G Spectrum

It is generally understood that forthcoming 5G communication technologies such as full duplex (FD), massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) aim at the maximal use of communication spectrum to provide a new experience of service for users. FD provides simultaneous signal transmission and reception over the same frequency band. Massive MIMO uses massive numbers of antennas to provide high throughput connectivity for users. NOMA improves network throughput by allowing some users to access information intended for other users. SWIPT provides simultaneous information and power transfer. However, it is still very challenging to utilize these spectrum exploitation technologies to secure the needed quality of service for users in the age of the Internet of Things. In FD, the signal transmission interference to signal reception, even after analog and digital self-interference cancellation, is considerable, which downgrades both transmission and reception throughput. To maintain the favored channel characteristics, massive MIMO means to serve a few users per time unit only. In NOMA, the users' throughput is improved by compromising communication privacy. Information and power transmissions head to conflicting targets that are difficult to achieve simultaneously with SWIPT. This article introduces a new technique, called the fractional-time approach, which ensures guaranteed and better transmission and reception throughput without the need for complex FD, enables serving a massive number of users in a massive MIMO system, provides guaranteed users' throughput without security compromise as in NOMA, and delivers high volumes of both information and power transfer within a time unit.