Fronthauling for 5G LTE-U Ultra Dense Cloud Small Cell Networks
  Ultra dense cloud small cell network (UDCSNet), which combines cloud computing and massive deployment of small cells, is a promising technology for the fifth-generation (5G) LTE-U mobile communications because it can accommodate the anticipated explosive growth of mobile users' data traffic. As a result, fronthauling becomes a challenging problem in 5G LTE-U UDCSNet. In this article, we present an overview of the challenges and requirements of the fronthaul technology in 5G \mbox{LTE-U} UDCSNets. We survey the advantages and challenges for various candidate fronthaul technologies such as optical fiber, millimeter-wave based unlicensed spectrum, Wi-Fi based unlicensed spectrum, sub 6GHz based licensed spectrum, and free-space optical based unlicensed spectrum. 
Haijun Zhang, Yanjie Dong, Julian Cheng, Md. Jahangir Hossain, Victor   C. M. Leung
cs.IT math.IT