Performance Analysis of C-V2X Mode 4 Communication Introducing an Open-Source C-V2X Simulator
Pith reviewed 2026-05-24 16:52 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
An open-source ns-3 simulator shows C-V2X Mode 4 scales to 250 vehicles in a 100 m by 100 m area while meeting LTE Rel. 14 requirements.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The simulator demonstrates that C-V2X Mode 4 is scalable to 250 vehicles within a worst case scenario on a playground of 100 m x 100 m, with respect to the LTE rel. 14 V2X requirements. Performance improves in the more realistic Manhattan grid scenario. Packet inter-reception time remains at a maximum of 100 ms for more than 99 percent of all transmissions. The resource reservation period and resource reselection probability influence the system's packet reception ratio.
What carries the argument
The ns-3 implementation of C-V2X Mode 4 with the added WINNER+ B1 channel model and SUMO mobility traces, used to measure packet reception ratio and packet inter-reception time under varying densities and parameters.
If this is right
- C-V2X Mode 4 meets LTE Rel. 14 requirements at densities up to 250 vehicles in a 100 m by 100 m worst-case area.
- Packet inter-reception stays under 100 ms for more than 99 percent of transmissions.
- Performance is higher in the 3GPP Manhattan grid layout than in the uniform dense worst-case layout.
- Changes to the resource reservation period and resource reselection probability directly alter packet reception ratio.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The released simulator code removes a practical barrier for independent researchers studying dense V2X deployments.
- Parameter sensitivity results point to a possible optimization path for tuning reservation settings to local traffic density.
- Extending the same framework to include pedestrian or cyclist nodes would test whether the scalability claim holds in mixed traffic.
- Integration with higher-layer autonomy simulators could reveal end-to-end latency effects not captured in the current PHY/MAC focus.
Load-bearing premise
The ns-3 implementation of C-V2X Mode 4, combined with the added WINNER+ B1 channel model and SUMO-generated mobility traces, produces results that accurately reflect real-world protocol behavior and radio propagation for the purpose of meeting LTE Rel. 14 requirements.
What would settle it
Side-by-side comparison of the simulator's packet reception ratio and inter-reception time statistics against measurements collected from a physical C-V2X testbed operating at 250 vehicles in a 100 m by 100 m area.
Figures
read the original abstract
Autonomous vehicles, on the ground and in the air, are the next big evolution in human mobility. While autonomous driving in highway scenarios is already possible using only the vehicles sensors, the complex scenarios of big cities with all its different traffic participants is still a vision. Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) communication is a necessary enabler of this vision and and an emerging field of interest in today's research. However, to the best of our knowledge open source simulators essential for open research do not exist yet. In this work we present our open source C-V2X mode 4 simulator based on the discrete-event network simulator ns-3. To analyze the performance of C-V2X mode 4 using our simulator, we created a worst case scenario and the 3GPP reference Manhattan grid scenario using the microscopic traffic simulator SUMO. We also added the WINNER+ B1 channel model to ns-3, as this is also used by 3GPP. Our results show, that C-V2X is scalable to 250 vehicles within a worst case scenario on a playground of 100 m x 100 m, with respect to the LTE rel. 14 V2X requirements. For the more realistic Manhattan grid scenario, the performance is better, as to be expected. We also analyzed the Packet Inter-Reception time with an outcome of max. 100 ms for more than 99 % of all transmissions. In addition, we investigated the impact of the Resource Reservation Period and the Resource Reselection Probability on the system's Packet Reception Ratio.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper presents an open-source ns-3 simulator for C-V2X Mode 4 that incorporates the WINNER+ B1 channel model and SUMO mobility traces. It evaluates performance in a worst-case 100 m × 100 m scenario (up to 250 vehicles) and the 3GPP Manhattan grid, claiming that Mode 4 meets LTE Rel. 14 V2X requirements on packet reception ratio, with packet inter-reception time ≤ 100 ms for >99 % of packets, and reports sensitivity to resource reservation period and reselection probability.
Significance. An open-source, publicly available C-V2X Mode 4 simulator constitutes a useful community resource for reproducible research in vehicular networks. If the implementation were shown to be faithful, the reported scalability results would provide concrete evidence supporting Mode 4 deployment in dense urban settings.
major comments (2)
- [Performance analysis / abstract] Performance analysis section / abstract: no validation of the custom ns-3 Mode 4 implementation (sensing-based SPS, resource reselection, or the added WINNER+ B1 model) against hardware measurements, 3GPP reference curves, or independent simulators is provided. Because all quantitative claims (scalability to 250 vehicles, PIR statistics) are direct simulation outputs, this absence is load-bearing for the central performance conclusions.
- [Implementation description] Implementation description: the manuscript supplies no pseudocode, state-machine diagram, or parameter settings for the Mode 4 sensing window, resource reservation interval selection, or collision avoidance logic, preventing independent assessment of whether the reported PRR and PIR figures correctly reflect the LTE Rel. 14 specification.
minor comments (2)
- [Abstract] Abstract contains the duplicated word 'and and'.
- [Performance analysis] Simulation results are presented without error bars, confidence intervals, or the number of independent runs, which reduces the ability to judge statistical significance of the reported thresholds.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the constructive comments. We address each major point below and indicate planned revisions.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Performance analysis / abstract] Performance analysis section / abstract: no validation of the custom ns-3 Mode 4 implementation (sensing-based SPS, resource reselection, or the added WINNER+ B1 model) against hardware measurements, 3GPP reference curves, or independent simulators is provided. Because all quantitative claims (scalability to 250 vehicles, PIR statistics) are direct simulation outputs, this absence is load-bearing for the central performance conclusions.
Authors: We acknowledge that the manuscript does not contain direct validation of the Mode 4 implementation against hardware measurements or published 3GPP reference curves. The simulator strictly follows the LTE Rel. 14 sensing-based SPS procedures defined in 3GPP TS 36.321 and TS 36.213, using the standard 100 ms sensing window and the resource reservation intervals permitted by the specification; the WINNER+ B1 model is the exact channel model mandated by 3GPP for the Manhattan-grid evaluation. Because the source code is released publicly, independent verification is possible. In the revision we will add an explicit subsection comparing our PRR/PIR results with the closest available published curves from other C-V2X simulators and will state the limitations regarding hardware validation. revision: partial
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Referee: [Implementation description] Implementation description: the manuscript supplies no pseudocode, state-machine diagram, or parameter settings for the Mode 4 sensing window, resource reservation interval selection, or collision avoidance logic, preventing independent assessment of whether the reported PRR and PIR figures correctly reflect the LTE Rel. 14 specification.
Authors: We agree that the current description is insufficient for independent assessment. The revised manuscript will include (i) pseudocode for the sensing-window update, resource-reservation-interval selection, and collision-avoidance reselection logic, and (ii) a table listing all Mode 4 parameters used (sensing window size, resource reservation period values, reselection probability, etc.). revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: performance metrics are direct simulation outputs
full rationale
The paper reports simulation results for C-V2X Mode 4 scalability using a new ns-3 implementation with SUMO mobility and WINNER+ B1 channel. There are no equations, fitted parameters, or self-referential derivations; Packet Reception Ratio and Packet Inter-Reception times are computed directly as statistical outputs from the simulation runs. No self-citation chains, ansatzes, or uniqueness theorems are invoked to force the results. The central claims do not reduce to inputs by construction. Lack of external validation is a model-fidelity issue, not circularity.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (2)
- domain assumption The ns-3 C-V2X Mode 4 implementation correctly realizes sensing-based semi-persistent scheduling and resource reservation as specified in LTE Rel. 14.
- domain assumption The WINNER+ B1 channel model added to ns-3 produces realistic path loss and shadowing for the Manhattan and dense playground scenarios.
Reference graph
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