Dummy users; Network-aware cooperative terminals in wireless access networks

Cooperation among network nodes at one side and terminal nodes on the other side are the two main enablers of radio access virtualization to establish scalable and dynamically adjustable data pipes to the users in the 5G mobile networks. User cooperation requires careful design to address cooperation incentive, battery life, user discovery, security and privacy. Dummy user, a network-aware terminal, can facilitate the implementation of user cooperation and leverage its benefits. Dummy users can offer a low cost alternative for the enhancement of the network performance to address persistent or temporary demand such as a hotspot created by an outdoor festival. Proper deployment of dummy users provides fairness and ubiquity of the network while enabling many advanced transmission and reception schemes that require more accurate channel state knowledge at the network.