Abstract: The radio interfaces and network architectures of WiFi and cellular systems are converging along many dimensions. While both systems are largely adopting the centralized architecture of traditional cellular deployments, this design comes with fundamental disadvantages that limit how these networks grow and develop. As a response, we present Distributed LTE (dLTE), an architecture offering the high radio performance of licensed and coordinated waveforms as well as the openness to organic expansion and growth of traditional WiFi. We challenge the assumption that good performance requires a centralized packet processing core, and propose hybrid approaches to coordination that prioritize system openness. We argue that dLTE is a particularly good fit for rural areas, where the LTE waveform is more appropriate than WiFi, yet it is uneconomical for centralized providers to deploy traditional cellular systems.

Bio: Matthew Johnson is a graduate student at the University of Washington working with Dr. Kurtis Heimerl on new tools for community cellular networks. He was fortunate to receive an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the Gaetano Borriello fellowship at UW to support his work. Previously he has interned for X (formerly Google-X) working on balloon based rural access, and worked at TrellisWare Technologies building mobile-ad-hoc networks. He received a Bachelors of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Rice University in Houston, Texas. Outside of networking, he is excited about sustainable living, bikes, and photography!