Simulating Large-Scale 5G Networks

With the large scale deployment of 5G, more and more sophisticated applications will also be set out. In order to assess network performance, the networking behaviour of those applications should be evaluated beforehand, opening the need for 5G simulation. While many applications are confined to single base station coverage, others, such as the ones related to mobility, smart cities or smart grids, are geographically distributed. Therefore, in order to assess the overall performance of those applications, and, eventually, infer the user quality of experience (QoE), a large-scale simulator is needed. In this paper we present our experience in building of a realistic large-scale 5G network simulator that covers the whole island of Montreal. Milestones, roadblocks, limitations and future enhancements are also discussed.