Low Latency Random Access Procedure for mMTC in 5G NR Networks

Applications of massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), e.g., smart meters, have made our daily lives more convenient. However, when a massive number of active Machine-Type Communication Devices (MTCDs) proceed with random access (RA) to the gNB at the same time, it results in additional RA latency and signal overhead. To solve this problem, by utilizing the modified 4-step RA procedure to generate the signature for each MTCD, a 2-step signature-based RA procedure is proposed. Simulation results show that, compared with the 2-step RA procedure utilized by 5G New Radio (NR), the proposed 2-step signature-based RA procedure greatly reduces the average time spent for active MTCDs to complete the required RA procedure.