Toward 3GPP Sidelink-Based Millimeter Wave Wireless Personal Area Network for Out-of-Coverage Scenarios

With advancements in distributed autonomous systems (e.g., vehicles, sensors, and robots) in the 5G/6G era, sidelink communication technology has evolved as a distributed communication system in the third-generation partnership project (3GPP). However, the current sidelink communication design focusing on information dissemination or point-to-point communication with a low rate is not suitable for rapid development of such autonomous systems. Instead, based on sidelink, developing distributed wireless personal area networks (WPANs) with a drastically higher rate for transmitting user data is essential. The overarching goal of this study is to explore the possibility of sidelink communication evolution to 1) form a distributed and autonomous WPAN and 2) support millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. Our core idea is to merge several design concepts of the precedented mmWave WPAN standards, i.e., IEEE 802.15.3c/11ad, into the sidelink communications, thereby bridging the gap between the two separated systems. This paper presents the anatomy of the IEEE 802.15.3c/11ad system with a focus on the formation of mmWave WPANs among distributed nodes and their operation. In addition, the current status of sidelink communication system design is highlighted, along with the missing building blocks, which are required to develop 3GPP sidelink-based mmWave WPAN systems. Simulation results shed light on merging IEEE 802.15.3c/11ad concepts into 3GPP sidelink communication regarding a control data transmission scheme, which should be designed to enhance robustness and is a crucial step for subsequent high-rate user data transmission.