In-band device to device (D2D) communication and device discovery: A survey

Abstract

Device to device (D2D) communication is one of the potentials to achieve the established standards for 5G. It represents a direct communication between two devices located in the vicinity of each other. In D2D communication, user’s data traffic can be offloaded without passing through the base transceiver system (BTS) and the core network. In order to initiate the D2D communication, device discovery is needed, and it is a major design issue for D2D communication. To achieve a potential discovery, there are some requirements such as energy efficient discovery capability, supporting a large number of devices and proximity discovery in the network assisted underlay D2D communication network. In this paper, device discovery processes and methods are presented and assessed using different approaches. In addition, a device discovery technique is proposed for single cell and a multi cell which capable to provide accurate and fast discovery with energy efficient and optimized routed path. D2D discovery techniques are evaluated, its main challenges are analyzed and potential solutions are also suggested.