Towards 5G: Decentralized routing in FiWi enhanced LTE-A HetNets

Google recently introduced U.S. pilot Project Fi in cooperation with two major 4G LTE network operators. Project Fi intelligently connects mobile users to free open WiFi hotspots or otherwise, if not possible, seamlessly moves them between the two partner LTE networks for delivering the most reliable and fastest available wireless service. Project Fi may be an important step towards meeting the 5G requirements of ultra-high reliability and very low latency while taking economic considerations into account. Following the integrative vision of 5G, this paper attempts to provide further insights into the potential of Project Fi wireless service by elaborating on the integration of 4G LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) heterogeneous networks (HetNets) and low-cost data-centric Ethernet based fiber-wireless (FiWi) broadband access networks with not only WiFi offloading but also cost-saving fiber infrastructure sharing capabilities for small cell backhaul, which is becoming a major performance-limiting factor in mobile networks. Furthermore, given that decentralization is another important aspect of the 5G vision, we develop a decentralized routing algorithm for the resultant FiWi enhanced LTE-A HetNets.