Synchronization and Radio Access Procedures in 5G NR Networks

Abstract

The emerging cellular wireless networks of the fifth-generation (5G) are intended to offer higher data speeds, increased quality of experience (QoE) for end-users, reduced end-to-end latency, and lower energy consumption. 5G wireless technology will cover a wide range of use case scenarios from enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) to ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). Cell search and synchronization are the initial requirements for all the wireless communication systems to establish an active link between the user device and the base station. In 5G new radio (NR) systems, User Equipment (UE) performs the initial cell search and synchronization for a base station to complete the downlink (DL) synchronization. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) are the two synchronization signal which are used to achieve the initial cell search and synchronization along with decoding the data in the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). To connect a UE to the network, uplink (UL) synchronization is also necessary. The random access procedure is performed by the UE for the UL synchronization and Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection. This thesis focuses on the synchronization process and the 5G NR radio access procedure. We study the existing algorithms for time and frequency synchronization. A simulation on downlink synchronization is performed considering the analysis of the broadcast channel (BCH) detection probability by using MATLAB 5G toolbox.