5G K-Simulator of Flexible, Open, Modular (FOM) Structure and Web-based 5G K-SimPlatform

In this paper, we introduce the 5G K-Simulator, which is standard-compliant open-source simulator and has flexible, open and modular (FOM) structure. The 5G K-Simulator is developed to follow the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) roadmap for fifth generation (5G) communication systems, and its current version is based on Release 15. The 5G K-Simulator consists of a link level simulator (5G K-SimLink), a system level simulator (5G K-SimSys) and a network level simulator (5G K-SimNet), where individual simulator is designed to test physical (PHY) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer and transport layer technologies for 5G communication systems. At the same time, simulators at different levels are connected by mapping modules, which enable one simulator to transfer its simulated data to the other, thereby achieving more accurate simulation results. To allow users to access and execute the 5G K-Simulator, a highly accessible web-based platform, named 5G K-SimPlatform, is also developed. The 5G K-SimPlatform provides a graphic user interface (GUI) for simulation configurations and simulation results, while supporting stable computing environments to run simulators. To guarantee the simulation accuracy and satisfy the strict requirements of 5G systems, the 5G K-Simulator and the 5G K-SimPlatform are verified through beta test by expert groups, hence they are valuable and power simulation tools for researchers in the research institute as well as in the company.