Harvest the potential of massive MIMO with multi-layer techniques

Massive MIMO is envisioned as a promising technology for 5G wireless networks due to its high potential to improve both spectral and energy efficiency. Although the massive MIMO system is based on innovations in the physical layer, the upper layer techniques also play important roles in harvesting the performance gains of massive MIMO. In this article, we begin with an analysis of the benefits and challenges of massive MIMO systems. We then investigate the multi-layer techniques for incorporating massive MIMO in several important network deployment scenarios. We conclude this article with a discussion of open and potential problems for future research.Comment: IEEE Networ

A Survey on Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access for 5G Networks: Research Challenges and Future Trends

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is an essential enabling technology for the fifth generation (5G) wireless networks to meet the heterogeneous demands on low latency, high reliability, massive connectivity, improved fairness, and high throughput. The key idea behind NOMA is to serve multiple users in the same resource block, such as a time slot, subcarrier, or spreading code. The NOMA principle is a general framework, and several recently proposed 5G multiple access schemes can be viewed as special cases. This survey provides an overview of the latest NOMA research and innovations as well as their applications. Thereby, the papers published in this special issue are put into the content of the existing literature. Future research challenges regarding NOMA in 5G and beyond are also discussed.Comment: to appear in IEEE JSAC, 201

Signal Processing for MIMO-NOMA: Present and Future Challenges

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), as the newest member of the multiple access family, is envisioned to be an essential component of 5G mobile networks. The combination of NOMA and multi-antenna multi-input multi-output (MIMO) technologies exhibits a significant potential in improving spectral efficiency and providing better wireless services to more users. In this article, we introduce the basic concepts of MIMO-NOMA and summarize the key technical problems in MIMO-NOMA systems. Then, we explore the problem formulation, beamforming, user clustering, and power allocation of single/multi-cluster MIMO-NOMA in the literature along with their limitations. Furthermore, we point out an important issue of the stability of successive interference cancellation (SIC) that arises using achievable rates as performance metrics in practical NOMA/MIMO-NOMA systems. Finally, we discuss incorporating NOMA with massive/millimeter wave MIMO, and identify the main challenges and possible future research directions in this area.Comment: 14 pages (single column), 4 figures. This work has been accepted by the IEEE Wireless Communications, the special issue of non-orthogonal multiple access for 5

Multi-Beam NOMA for Hybrid mmWave Systems

In this paper, we propose a multi-beam non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) scheme for hybrid millimeter wave (mmWave) systems and study its resource allocation. A beam splitting technique is designed to generate multiple analog beams to serve multiple users for NOMA transmission. Compared to conventional mmWave orthogonal multiple access (mmWave-OMA) schemes, the proposed scheme can serve more than one user on each radio frequency (RF) chain. Besides, in contrast to the recently proposed single-beam mmWave-NOMA scheme which can only serve multiple NOMA users within the same beam, the proposed scheme can perform NOMA transmission for the users with an arbitrary angle-of-departure (AOD) distribution. This provides a higher flexibility for applying NOMA in mmWave communications and thus can efficiently exploit the potential multi-user diversity. Then, we design a suboptimal two-stage resource allocation for maximizing the system sum-rate. In the first stage, assuming that only analog beamforming is available, a user grouping and antenna allocation algorithm is proposed to maximize the conditional system sum-rate based on the coalition formation game theory. In the second stage, with the zero-forcing (ZF) digital precoder, a suboptimal solution is devised to solve a non-convex power allocation optimization problem for the maximization of the system sum-rate which takes into account the quality of service (QoS) constraint. Simulation results show that our designed resource allocation can achieve a close-to-optimal performance in each stage. In addition, we demonstrate that the proposed multi-beam mmWave-NOMA scheme offers a higher spectral efficiency than that of the single-beam mmWave-NOMA and the mmWave-OMA schemes.Comment: Submitted for possible journal publicatio

A Spatial Basis Coverage Approach For Uplink Training And Scheduling In Massive MIMO Systems

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (massive MIMO) can provide large spectral and energy efficiency gains. Nevertheless, its potential is conditioned on acquiring accurate channel state information (CSI). In time division duplexing (TDD) systems, CSI is obtained through uplink training which is hindered by pilot contamination. The impact of this phenomenon can be relieved using spatial division multiplexing, which refers to partitioning users based on their spatial information and processing their signals accordingly. The performance of such schemes depend primarily on the implemented grouping method. In this paper, we propose a novel spatial grouping scheme that aims at managing pilot contamination while reducing the required training overhead in TDD massive MIMO. Herein, user specific decoding matrices are derived based on the columns of the discrete Fourier transform matrix (DFT), taken as a spatial basis. Copilot user groups are then formed in order to obtain the best coverage of the spatial basis with minimum overlapping between decoding matrices. We provide two algorithms that achieve the desired grouping and derive their respective performance guarantees. We also address inter-cell copilot interference through efficient pilot sequence allocation, leveraging the formed copilot groups. Various numerical results are provided to showcase the efficiency of the proposed algorithms.Comment: 30 pages, 6 figures, Submitted 201

A Covariance-Based Hybrid Channel Feedback in FDD Massive MIMO Systems

In this paper, a novel covariance-based channel feedback mechanism is investigated for frequency division duplexing (FDD) massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems. The concept capitalizes on the notion of user statistical separability which was hinted in several prior works in the massive antenna regime but not fully exploited so far. We here propose a hybrid statistical-instantaneous feedback mechanism where the users are separated into two classes of feedback design based on their channel covariance. Under the hybrid framework, each user either operates on a statistical feedback mode or quantized instantaneous channel feedback mode depending on their so-called statistical isolability. The key challenge lies in the design of a covariance-aware classification algorithm which can handle the complex mutual interactions between all users. The classification is derived from rate bound principles. A suitable precoding method is also devised under the mixed statistical and instantaneous feedback model. Simulations are performed to validate our analytical results and illustrate the sum rate advantages of the proposed feedback scheme under a global feedback overhead constraint.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figure

Robust Geometry-Based User Scheduling for Large MIMO Systems Under Realistic Channel Conditions

The problem of user scheduling with reduced overhead of channel estimation in the uplink of Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems has been considered. A geometry-based stochastic channel model (GSCM), called the COST 2100 channel model has been used for realistic analysis of channels. In this paper, we propose a new user selection algorithm based on knowledge of the geometry of the service area and location of clusters, without having full channel state information (CSI) at the base station (BS). The multi-user link correlation in the GSCMs arises from the common clusters in the area. The throughput depends on the position of clusters in the GSCMs and users in the system. Simulation results show that although the BS does not require the channel information of all users, by the proposed geometry-based user scheduling algorithm the sum-rate of the system is only slightly less than the well-known greedy weight clique scheme. Finally, the robustness of the proposed algorithm to the inaccuracy of cluster localization is verified by the simulation results.Comment: 4 figure

Low-Complexity Downlink User Selection for Massive MIMO Systems

In this paper we propose a pair of low-complexity user selection schemes with zero-forcing precoding for multiuser massive MIMO downlink systems, in which the base station is equipped with a large-scale antenna array. First, we derive approximations of the ergodic sum rates of the systems invoking the conventional random user selection (RUS) and the location-dependant user selection (LUS). Then, the optimal number of simultaneously served user equipments (UEs), $K^*$, is investigated to maximize the sum rate approximations. Upon exploiting $K^*$, we develop two user selection schemes, namely $K^*$-RUS and $K^*$-LUS, where $K^*$ UEs are selected either randomly or based on their locations. Both of the proposed schemes are independent of the instantaneous channel state information of small-scale fading, therefore enjoying the same extremely-low computational complexity as that of the conventional RUS scheme. Moreover, both of our proposed schemes achieve significant sum rate improvement over the conventional RUS. In addition, it is worth noting that like the conventional RUS, the $K^*$-RUS achieves good fairness among UEs.Comment: 11 pages, 27 figures, Accepted to publish on IEEE Systems Journal -- Special Issue on 5G Wireless Systems with Massive MIMO, Apr. 201

Channel Estimation and Hybrid Precoding for Distributed Phased Arrays Based MIMO Wireless Communications

Distributed phased arrays based multiple-input multiple-output (DPA-MIMO) is a newly introduced architecture that enables both spatial multiplexing and beamforming while facilitating highly reconfigurable hardware implementation in millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands. With a DPA-MIMO system, we focus on channel state information (CSI) acquisition and hybrid precoding. As benefited from a coordinated and open-loop pilot beam pattern design, all the sub-arrays can perform channel sounding with less training overhead compared with the traditional orthogonal operation of each sub-array. Furthermore, two sparse channel recovery algorithms, known as joint orthogonal matching pursuit (JOMP) and joint sparse Bayesian learning with $\ell_2$ reweighting (JSBL-$\ell_2$), are proposed to exploit the hidden structured sparsity in the beam-domain channel vector. Finally, successive interference cancellation (SIC) based hybrid precoding through sub-array grouping is illustrated for the DPA-MIMO system, which decomposes the joint sub-array RF beamformer design into an interactive per-sub-array-group handle. Simulation results show that the proposed two channel estimators fully take advantage of the partial coupling characteristic of DPA-MIMO channels to perform channel recovery, and the proposed hybrid precoding algorithm is suitable for such array-of-sub-arrays architecture with satisfactory performance and low complexity.Comment: accepted by IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technolog

Heterogeneous Doppler Spread-based CSI Estimation Planning for TDD Massive MIMO

Massive multi-input multi-output (Massive MIMO) has been recognized as a key technology to meet the demand for higher data capacity and massive connectivity. Nevertheless, the number of active users is restricted due to training overhead and the limited coherence time. Current wireless systems assume the same coherence slot duration for all users, regardless of their heterogeneous Doppler spreads. In this paper, we exploit this neglected degree of freedom in addressing the training overhead bottleneck. We propose a new uplink training scheme where the periodicity of pilot transmission differs among users based on their actual channel coherence times. Since the changes in the wireless channel are, primarily, due to movement, uplink training decisions are optimized, over long time periods, while considering the evolution of the users channels and locations. Owing to the different rates of the wireless channel and location evolution, a two time scale control problem is formulated. In the fast time scale, an optimal training policy is derived by choosing which users are requested to send their pilots. In the slow time scale, location estimation decisions are optimized. Simulation results show that the derived training policies provide a considerable improvement of the cumulative average spectral efficiency even with partial location knowledge.Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures, Submitted 201