Enhancement of Time Synchronization and Quality of Service in 5G Base Station (ARD/296)

The fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication is essential for the smart factory and the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) since it enables seamless, pervasive, and scalable connectivity among machines, people, and sensors. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 17 delivers a performance boost to 5G systems and continues to drive better support for smart industrial applications toward a higher level of intelligence, efficiency, and performance. Therefore, new technologies have to be studied and developed for 5G base station enhancements to fulfill the demanding requirements of industrial applications with respect to service availability, time synchronization, etc. To support ASTRI's technology evolution, the project team plans to carry out studies on 3GPP Release 17 technologies related to the enhancements of time synchronization and quality of service (QoS), including 1) 5G base station time synchronization accuracy; 2) 5G enhancements to support survival time requirements; Moreover, a cross-layer design, implementation, and verification of ASTRI's 5G base station with advanced time synchronization and QoS will be provided. Through this project, ASTRI can enhance its competence in 5G and enable more innovative industrial applications. The new technologies have attracted preliminary interest from ASTRI's industrial partners, including Hebei Far East Communication (HBFEC) and SageRAN. The project outcomes will strongly support ASTRI's smart city roadmap and contribute to the development of smart cities, smart airport, smart factories, and smart logistics in Hong Kong.