EU FP7 INFSO-ICT-317669 METIS, D4.2 Final report on trade-off investigations

Research activities in METIS WP4 include several aspects related to the network-level of future wireless communication networks. Thereby, a large variety of scenarios is considered and solutions are proposed to serve the needs envisioned for the year 2020 and beyond. This document provides vital findings about several trade-offs that need to be leveraged when designing future network-level solutions. In more detail, it elaborates on the following trade-offs: • Complexity vs. Performance improvement • Centralized vs. Decentralized • Long time-scale vs. Short time-scale • Information Interflow vs. Throughput/Mobility enhancement • Energy Efficiency vs. Network Coverage and Capacity Outlining the advantages and disadvantages in each trade-off, this document serves as a guideline for the application of different network-level solutions in different situations and therefore greatly assists in the design of future communication network architectures.