Hardware Platform for Layer 2 IAB Architecture based on a Transceiver Manufactured at 26 GHz

The escalating need for faster data rates, uninterrupted connectivity, and ubiquitous coverage in wireless networks has driven the development of cutting-edge technologies, such as the Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) architecture. In this paper, a high-level hardware platform of radio and baseband units for Layer 2 IAB architecture based on a 26.5 GHz transceiver is presented, where the mmWave transmit and receiver modules are designed, fabricated, and integrated into the SDR platform. By employing Matlab™ software, we have developed a Layer 2 IAB architecture with FR1 and FR2 5G signals standardized by the 3GPP allowing us to verify and validate the deployment network through commercial equipment. The proposed IAB architectures consider the implementation of a phase noise cancellation (PNC) algorithm based on phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS) to estimate and compensate for the residual phase noise from the fabricated transceiver at 26.5 GHz. In order to evaluate the proposed 3GPP-inspired IAB architecture based on implemented SDR platform, experimental results are provided where the obtained results have been focused on indoor-to-indoor real environments scenario. Validation and testing with the off-the-shelf equipment demonstrate the right functionality of the developed architectures, protocols, and algorithms.