Convergence of Broadcast and Broadband Performance Evaluation of Layered Division Multiplexing for 5G and Beyond

Further evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (FeMBMS) was introduced in 3GPP Release 14 to provide standalone ultra-high-definition multicast/broadcast services over larger distances. Release 16 made significant improvements to FeMBMS with support for large inter site distance up to 125 km, support for high mobility up to 250 km/h, and enhancements to the cell acquisition subframe. However, the capabilities, efficiency, and service delivery flexibility of this system still lags behind dedicated broadcasting systems such as ATSC 3.0. Our previous works had shown that in an LTE infrastructure, incorporating layered division multiplexing (LDM) can deliver broadcast and broadband services in one RF channel to achieve higher spectral efficiency. The newest 5G standards bring many changes to the 3GPP specifications. Therefore, this study investigates the performance and capabilities of LDM for delivering mixed broadcast and broadband services for 5G and beyond. Simulations show that in an LDM enabled 5G broadcast priority network, a broadcast service and a near full capacity broadband service can be delivered using the same time frequency resource.