Energy Efficient Secure Transmission Techniques for 5G Enabled HetNet

Abstract

Heterogeneous Networks (HetNets) play an essential role in enhancing the qualityof-service (QoS) for end-users by increasing the spectral efficiency of the network and reducing the power consumption of user equipment (UE). With an exponential increase in the number of Internet of Things devices (IoTD), data traffic flow demands, and the complex network structure of 5G, the HetNets are also growing rapidly to increase the spectral efficiency of the wireless network. The market size of HetNets is expected to reach about 51.1 billion USD by the year 2027 as compared to 18.3 billion USD in the year 2020 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2%. In contrast to traditional homogeneous networks, HetNets allow small cells to collaborate in macrocell networks, which increases the possibility of spatial resource reuse and improves the quality-of-service (QoS) for user equipment (UE). However, the dynamic and distributed nature of HetNets makes them susceptible to various types of attacks (e.g., eavesdropping, jamming). Also, new technologies of 5G such as Massive MIMO, mmWave, NOMA brings unique security concerns to 5G HetNets, which were not present in pre-5G HetNets. Implementing traditional security techniques such as access control, encryption, and network security seems to be insufficient for 5G HetNets and their inherent vulnerabilities. Also, HetNet s architecture is more open and varied than traditional single-tier cellular networks, making information sharing more vulnerable to security threats. Thus, designing and implementing effective eavesdropping countermeasures is essential for secure wireless transmissions in 5G HetNets. Although, cryptography-based solutions have been widely used to provide network security at the upper levels. But, these solutions are limited in their ability to meet the security needs of 5G-and-beyond networks due to the following constraints i) It is extremely difficult to use cryptographic approaches using public keys in large, decentralized networks ii) Public-key