Achieving Ultra-Low Latency in 5G Millimeter Wave Cellular Networks

The IMT 2020 requirements of 20 Gb/s peak data rate and 1 ms latency present significant engineering challenges for the design of 5G cellular systems. Systems that make use of the mmWave bands above 10 GHz - where large regions of spectrum are available - are a promising 5G candidate that may be able to rise to the occasion. However, although the mmWave bands can support massive peak data rates, delivering these data rates for end-to-end services while maintaining reliability and ultra-low-latency performance to support emerging applications and use cases will require rethinking all layers of the protocol stack. This article surveys some of the challenges and possible solutions for delivering end-to-end, reliable, ultra-low-latency services in mmWave cellular systems in terms of the MAC layer, congestion control, and core network architecture.