Packet Duplication in Dual Connectivity Enabled 5G Wireless Networks: Overview and Challenges

Enabling ultra-reliable low latency communications (uRLLC) over 5G wireless networks creates challenging design requirements, particularly on the air-interface. The stringent latency and reliability targets require enhancements at different layers of the protocol stack. On the other hand, the parallel redundancy protocol (PRP), wherein each data packet is duplicated and transmitted concurrently over two independent networks, provides a simple solution for improving reliability and reducing latency in wireless networks. PRP can be realized in cellular networks through the dual connectivity (DC) solution. Recently, 3GPP has introduced packet duplication functionality in 5G wireless networks. To this end, this paper provides an overview of the packet duplication functionality in 5G, in light of recent developments within 3GPP, and also highlights the related technical challenges.