Security enhancement to successive interference cancellation algorithm for non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA)

Next-generation mobile network development for future radio access, or 5G, intends to provide high capacity, improved Quality of Service (QoS), carrier broadening in new spectrum, and enhanced security in data privacy. So far, the main focus of researchers and vendors in the areas of cellular telecommunication is to improve capacity and spectrum in order to get better QoS, but less attention has been given to provide a secure and trustworthy connectivity service. Among different potential candidates for 5G, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is one of the key contenders. NOMA employs the principle of successive interference cancellation (SIC) at the receiver side to separate the users information. However, implementation of SIC increases concerns over user privacy. In this paper, shortcomings of conventional SIC are discussed and a new secure SIC scheme is presented. Our proposed SIC scheme enhances user security by using the MAC address and IMEI, which are dedicated to a smartphone as private keys. This private key enables the user to encode data without disturbing other users privacy.