Power Consumption Model and Simulation for a 5G Tactical Network

The current availability of advanced 5G technology in the market offers significant opportunities even to the Armed Forces to leverage this platform in a cost-effective manner to meet their operational needs not only for military missions but also for public safety, disaster relief, and peacekeeping. 5G technology introduces a range of innovative features that can play a crucial role in defense contexts. Among the prominent military applications, tactical applications, particularly in the areas of telecommunications and battlefield digitization, stand out. It is precisely in these specific applications that 5G emerges as a revolutionary factor. The strong interest shown by the NATO in 5G technology is noteworthy. NATO working groups are actively collaborating to standardize tactical applications and operational models of 5G, ultimately contributing to the development of a new military doctrine. This doctrine will define the fundamental principles and guidelines for planning, implementing, maintaining and evaluating communications in support of joint operations. This master's thesis represents an extension of the work previously carried out by Lieutenant Federico Valletta in his master¿s thesis at Polytechnic University of Turin, and it aims to provide a contribution to the ongoing debate, with a specific focus on the issues related to the energy sector. The thesis considers an elementary model of a tactical network, consisting of a sub-network called Small Deployable Headquarters. This sub-network contains, on a small scale, almost all the equipment and types of connections found in NATO coalition-level tactical networks. Additionally, a Small Deployable Headquarters is a ¿must-have¿ in any tactical network. For this reason, the Small Deployable Headquarters can be used as a prototype and elementary (i.e. atomic) module for building more complex networks. This thesis, resulting from a broader collaboration between the Italian Army's School of Application, the Polytechnic University of Turin, and Leonardo S.p.a. that began with Lieutenant Federico Valletta¿s master Thesis, is structured as follows: Introduction - outlines the thesis's objectives and describes the research methodologies used in its development. Chapter 1 ¿ examines 5G technology, outlining the distinct differences in its application in the military and civil sectors. It also provides a detailed justification for the adoption of this technology in the military, offering a comprehensive overview of how it can play a key role in enhancing security and fulfilling critical roles such as command and control and logistics. Chapter 2 ¿ focuses on analyzing the energy impact of the 5G network system, closely examining the energy efficiency of this technology and its consumption, with a particular focus on its use in military contexts. In addition, the issue of battery use in an operational environment will be addressed, considering how temperature and age may affect their operation. Chapter 3 ¿ provides a detailed analysis of the 'Small Deployable Headquarters' architecture and its implementation on Omnet++ simulator using Simu5G framework. It examines highly relevant simulations involving link failures, jamming and energy impact analysis. In addition, the objectives of the simulations and the methodologies adopted are clarified, highlighting the limitations of the implementation. Results and Conclusions ¿ the chapter offers a concise description of the results and outlines possible future research developments.