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Ultra-reliable and low-latency communications: applications, opportunities and challenges

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Abstract

In the upcoming 5G and beyond systems, ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC) has been considered as the key enabler to support diverse mission-critical services, such as industrial automation, remote healthcare, and intelligent transportation. However, the two stringent requirements of URLLC: extremely low latency and ultra-strict reliability have posed great challenges in system designing. In this article, the basic concepts and the potential applications of URLLC are first introduced. Then, the state-of-the-art research of URLLC in the physical layer, link layer and the network layer are overviewed. In addition, some potential research topics and challenges are also identified.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China

    Daquan Feng & Lifeng Lai

  2. School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China

    Jingjing Luo & Canjian Zheng

  3. School of Electronic Information and Communications, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Yi Zhong

  4. Sharp Laboratories of America, Camas, 98607, USA

    Kai Ying

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  1. Daquan Feng
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  2. Lifeng Lai
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  3. Jingjing Luo
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  4. Yi Zhong
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  5. Canjian Zheng
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  6. Kai Ying
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Correspondence to Yi Zhong.

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Feng, D., Lai, L., Luo, J. et al. Ultra-reliable and low-latency communications: applications, opportunities and challenges. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 64, 120301 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-020-2852-1

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