ComSoc Technology News (CTN) is a free, online monthly publication that publishes interesting, timely, and newsworthy articles that span a wide range of topics related to the communications technology industry. Our mission is to be an informational resource that brings diverse perspective and thought leadership, while providing a platform for lively discussion amongst our readers.

CTN is run by a team of volunteer editorial board members who are technical experts in diverse fields. All articles are reviewed and edited by a technical editor. The editor-in-chief performs the final review prior to publication. 

February 2023 Issue

Who Needs Basestations When We Have Sidelinks?

When a mobile device communicates in a cellular network, data is typically going in both uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) directions to a transceiver entity generally known as a basestation. Starting with 4G LTE Advanced, and continuing with 5G, standards have been developed to allow devices to communicate with each other directly (Sidelink or SL), with and without the assistance of the traditional cellular network. One can immediately see the potential of this capability where infrastructure cellular coverage is poor or non-existent, e.g., in unpopulated areas or underground or where fast connectivity is needed for certain applications like autonomous vehicles. One can also anticipate the technical challenges in establishing sidelinks - search, acquisition, registration, authentication, radio resource allocation, etc.

In this month's article, the authors provide us with an overview of the development of 5G Sidelink, scenarios, challenges, technical approaches, co-existence with adjacent wireless technologies, and potential applications. The technological roadmap and the current Work Items in 3GPP for this very promising capability are also covered.  We hope you enjoy this informative trip down the Sidelink lane.

Weimin Liu, CTN Associate Editor

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