Abstract
The 5G network is on the verge of being deployed, as the first set of 5G features have just been standardized by 3GPP. Never the less several unsolved issues endanger an effective and profitable deployment of 5G systems, to address which this paper proposes some significant enhancements in the backhaul, at MAC, and at RRM layers. Leveraging on a new concept called extended Dynamic Spectrum Access (eDSA), novel algorithms and protocols are proposed, one of which is based on the Filter Bank Multicarrier (FBMC) technology. The results are mainly taken from the work of SPEED-5G, an EU-funded research project.