Machine-type communications over 5G systems: challenges and research trends for supporting industrial CPS applications

The Third Generation Partnership Project machine-type communications (MTC), where connected machines communicate via cellular links without human interaction, are attracting the interest of industrial and research communities in terms of designing a viable solution guaranteeing low-complexity, low-cost, low-energy consumption, and short delays over the next-to-come fifth generation wireless systems. As a consequence, MTC represent a viable solution to meet the expected benefits in terms of capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability foreseen by industrial cyber-physical systems (CPSs). The scope of this chapter is to discuss the challenges related to the congestion and overloading of radio access and core networks that are the prime issues to be solved in order to guarantee low-latency and low-energy MTC. Furthermore, the most promising proposals in literature aiming at effectively supporting industrial CPS applications will be presented and critically analyzed.