Wireless Virtualization for Enhancing Network Capacity, Coverage, Energy Efficiency and Security for 5G and Beyond

Over the last several decades, we have experienced tremendous growth in the use of cellular telephones and Wi-Fi networks for home and office, as well as emerging wireless technologies geared toward different applications. The massive growth of lightweight hand-held devices used to access wireless networks has resulted in an exponential increase in demand for wireless services and severe wireless spectrum shortage. To overcome these problems, beyond spectrum sharing with licensed users, a new wireless architecture is needed to enhance network coverage, capacity and security. This tutorial will present recent advances in wireless virtualization for 5G and beyond that is expected to significantly advance the field of wireless communications, with an expectation of opening transformative research directions. Specifically, we will focus on a) devising a novel generalized wireless virtualization architecture, or Wi-Vi, to provide wireless services to users using Radio-as-a-Service where Wi-Vi architecture will enhance network capacity, coverage, seamless mobility and energy efficiency, and thus be able to support trillions of devices in next generation wireless systems; and b) by extending the scope of the proposed Wi-Vi framework for performance isolation, security and privacy while providing quality-of-service/experience to users in a diverse wireless environment. Moreover, this tutorial will help researchers across many fields understand how wireless communications influences the emerging fields such as smart grid, eHealth, vehicular networks, next generation cellular networks, Internet-of-things, cyber-physical systems and secure cyberspace.