# A Survey on Device-to-Device Communication in Cellular Networks

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1310.0720 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1310.0720/

## Key facts

- Cited by 10 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 2 Oct 2013.

## Built on by (most cited first, 10 of 10)

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- [Dynamic Spectrum Access for Ambient Backscatter Communication-assisted D2D Systems with Quantum Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.17971/) (2024)
- [GymD2D: A Device-to-Device Underlay Cellular Offload Evaluation Platform](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.11188/) (2021)
- [Cellular traffic offloading via Opportunistic Networking with Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.00397/) (2021)
- [FiFo: Fishbone Forwarding in Massive IoT Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.01213/) (2022)
- [FedDec: Peer-to-peer Aided Federated Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.06715/) (2023)
- [Distilling Knowledge from Resource Management Algorithms to Neural Networks: A Unified Training Assistance Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.07511/) (2023)
- [CBPNet: A Continual Backpropagation Prompt Network for Alleviating Plasticity Loss on Edge Devices](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.15785/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Device-to-Device (D2D) communication was initially proposed in cellular networks as a new paradigm to enhance network performance. The emergence of new applications such as content distribution and location-aware advertisement introduced new use-cases for D2D communications in cellular networks. The initial studies showed that D2D communication has advantages such as increased spectral efficiency and reduced communication delay. However, this communication mode introduces complications in terms of interference control overhead and protocols that are still open research problems. The feasibility of D2D communications in LTE-A is being studied by academia, industry, and the standardization bodies. To date, there are more than 100 papers available on D2D communications in cellular networks and, there is no survey on this field. In this article, we provide a taxonomy based on the D2D communicating spectrum and review the available literature extensively under the proposed taxonomy. Moreover, we provide new insights to the over-explored and under-explored areas which lead us to identify open research problems of D2D communication in cellular networks.