New Technologies and Trends for Next Generation Mobile Broadcasting Services

Abstract

It is expected that by the year 2020, video services will account for more than 70 percent of mobile traffic. It is worth noting that broadcasting is a mechanism that efficiently delivers the same content to many users, not only focusing on venue casting, but also distributing many other media such as software updates and breaking news. Although broadcasting services are available in LTE and LTE-A networks, new improvements are needed in some areas to handle the demands expected in the near future. In this article we review the actual situation and some of the techniques that will make the broadcast service more dynamic and scalable, meeting the demands of its evolution toward the next generation. Resource allocation techniques for broadcast/multicast services, integration with new waveforms in 5th generation mobile communications (5G), initiatives for spectrum sharing and aggregation, or the deployment of small cells placed together with the existing macro cells, are some enhancements that are examined in detail, providing directions for further development. With this evolution, 5G broadcasting will be a driver to achieve the spectral efficiency needed for the 1000 times traffic growth that is expected in upcoming years, leading to new applications in 5G networks that are specifically focused on mobile video services.