Beyond 5g network architecture study: Fractal properties of access network

Wireless networks connect various devices through radio waves in which the network connection may have different structures. Moreover, the network structure is determined based on the placement areas of the network elements, which can be affected by the building and their locations. However, the numerical characteristic which describe the features of the real environment and allow them to be related to the properties of the model are still a challenge that has not been well addressed. To this end, in this paper, we analyze the modeling problems related to the structure of user placement in the access network. Our proposed solution is based on a description of the user environment structure in which cities in the form of buildings and constructions are considered as a typical environment. We propose a new model for addressing the wireless network structure in an efficient manner in which the features of the environment are considered, which are numerically expressed in the form of the Hurst parameter or fractal dimension. In addition, the fractal dimension, geometric fractals, and the characteristics of the user’s distribution territory and urban development are efficiently utilized. Then, we analyze the influence of the fractal properties of the environment on the structure of promising communication networks; in particular, on the structure of the Internet of Things network. Finally, simulation results proved that the proposed model is considered as a beneficial solution for modeling mobile communication and wireless access networks, including fifth-generation networks. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland