5G-RCOLAB: A system level simulator for 5G and beyond in rural areas

This paper describes 5G-RCOLAB, an open source simulation tool for performance evaluation of 5G/6G wireless networks in rural areas. The tool is designed with a layered architecture, based on three modules: (i) a link-level simulator of a communication channel for remote areas, with a mapping Link to System (L2S) interface; (ii) a Long-Term Evolution (LTE)-based physical layer adapted for remote areas, together with a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer that includes a novel Collaborative Spectrum Sensing (CSS) technique with security features for Byzantine attacks and spectrum usage efficiency; and (iii) an application oriented network layer that emulates the behavior of typical users in rural areas. The tool has the goal to reduce simulation complexity of large scale 5G rural networks and at the same time, to represent coherently the features of the physical and MAC layers, that include new channel models that cover long distances with the use of TV White Spaces (TVWS) in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and Very High Frequency (VHF) bands, as well as novel CSS techniques to improve spectrum efficiency. The 5G-RCOLAB was validated both by field test measurements from a Proof of Concept (PoC) prototype and by the simulation and evaluation of three 5G common core use cases in rural areas. The results show that the 5G-RCOLAB features allow a better evaluation of novel technologies implemented in the physical and MAC layers and provide paths for improvements and deployments of cost effective solutions of 5G in rural or remote areas.