millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-terahertz (THz) communications have the potential of increasing mobile network throughput drastically. However, the challenging propagation conditions experienced at mmWave and beyond frequencies can potentially limit the range of the wireless link down to a few meters, compared to up to kilometers for sub-6GHz links. Thus, increasing the density of base station deployments is required to achieve sufficient coverage in the Radio Access Network (RAN). To such end, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced wireless backhauled base stations with Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB), a key technology to achieve dense networks while preventing the need for costly fiber deployments. In this paper, we introduce SeBaSi, a system-level simulator for IAB networks, and demonstrate its functionality by simulating IAB deployments in Manhattan, New York City and Padova. Finally, we show how SeBaSi can represent a useful tool for the performance evaluation of self-backhauled cellular networks, thanks to its high level of network abstraction, coupled with its open and customizable design, which allows users to extend it to support novel technologies such as Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs)

翻译：毫米波（mmWave）和亚太赫兹（sub-THz）通信有望大幅提升移动网络吞吐量。然而，与可覆盖数公里的sub-6GHz链路相比，毫米波及更高频段所面临的严峻传播条件可能导致无线链路覆盖范围缩小至仅数米。因此，为在无线接入网（RAN）中实现足够覆盖，需要增加基站部署密度。为此，第三代合作伙伴计划（3GPP）引入了采用无线回传基站的集成接入与回传（IAB）技术，该技术既能实现密集网络部署，又可避免昂贵的光纤基础设施投资。本文提出了面向IAB网络的系统级仿真器SeBaSi，并通过在纽约曼哈顿和帕多瓦的IAB部署仿真验证其功能。最后，我们展示了SeBaSi凭借其高度网络抽象能力，以及支持可重构智能表面（RISs）等新型技术的开放可定制设计，可成为自回传蜂窝网络性能评估的有效工具。