Device discovery in LTE networks: A radio access perspective

Device discovery is an integral part of Device-to-Device communications and a key prerequisite for the introduction of proximity-aware services in Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. In this concept, we provide a comprehensive study on device discovery protocols and we examine the key design aspects towards an LTE-tailored device discovery. We give insights into the radio access approach that can be used for device discovery, considering in-coverage synchronized devices that exploit a dedicated spectrum portion to discover each other. Useful remarks on the optimal theoretical performance in terms of the number of required discovery transmissions and time-slots are presented, while comparative simulation results for various radio access approaches are provided.