Mitigating PAPR in cooperative wireless networks with frequency selective channels and relay selection

The focus of this thesis is peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) reduction in cooperative wireless networks which exploit orthogonal frequency division multiplexing in transmission. To reduce the PAPR clipping is employed at the source node. The first contribution focuses upon an amplify-and-forward (AF) type network with four relay nodes which exploits distributed closed loop extended orthogonal space frequency block coding to improve end-to-end performance. Oversampling and filtering are used at the source node to reduce out-of-band interference and the iterative amplitude reconstruction decoding technique is used at the destination node to mitigate in-band distortion which is introduced by the clipping process. In addition, by exploiting quantized group feedback and phase rotation at two of the relay nodes, the system achieves full cooperative diversity in addition to array gain. The second contribution area is outage probability analysis in the context of multi-relay selection in a cooperative AF network with frequency selective fading channels. The gains of time domain multi-path fading channels with L paths are modeled with an Erlang distribution. General closed form expressions for the lower and upper bounds of outage probability are derived for arbitrary channel length L as a function of end-to-end signal to noise ratio. This analysis is then extended for the case when single relay selection from an arbitrary number of relay nodes M is performed. The spatial and temporal cooperative diversity gain is then analysed. In addition, exact form of outage probability for multi-path channel length L = 2 and selecting the best single relay from an arbitrary number of relay nodes M is obtained. Moreover, selecting a pair of relays when L = 2 or 3 is additionally analysed. Finally, the third contribution context is outage probability analysis of a cooperative AF network with single and two relay pair selection from M available relay nodes together with clipping at the source node, which is explicitly modelled. MATLAB and Maple software based simulations are employed throughout the thesis to support the analytical results and assess the performance of algorithms and methods

Self-concatenated code design and its application in power-efficient cooperative communications

In this tutorial, we have focused on the design of binary self-concatenated coding schemes with the help of EXtrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) charts and Union bound analysis. The design methodology of future iteratively decoded self-concatenated aided cooperative communication schemes is presented. In doing so, we will identify the most important milestones in the area of channel coding, concatenated coding schemes and cooperative communication systems till date and suggest future research directions

Design Of Vehicular Communication Systems Employing Physical Layer Network Coding Over Cascaded Fading Channels

Tez (Doktora) -- İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, 2017Thesis (Ph.D.) -- İstanbul Technical University, Institute of Science and Technology, 2017İnsandan insana ses taşıma odaklı ikinci nesil (2nd Generation, 2G) mobil haberleşme teknolojilerinin kaydettiği başarıdan sonra telsiz iletişim alanındaki eğilimler insandan-makinaya olarak adlandırılan veri taşıma odaklı telsiz iletişim teknolojilerine (3rd Generation, 3G) doğru yönelmiştir. Bu veri taşıma odaklı iletişim konsepti ile birlikte son kullanıcılar multi-media mesajlaşma, internet erişimi, e-ticaret ve video paylaşımı gibi çok çeşitli telsiz iletişim servislerine kavuşma imkanı buldular. Telsiz iletişimdeki başarılı ve hızlı ilerlemenin bir sonucu olarak günümüzde bu alanda yapılan araştırma-geliştirme çalışmalarının yönü yüksek veri iletim hızları (>100Mb/s) ve daha yüksek bant-verimliliği (>10b/s) gerektiren makineden-makineye (Mactine-to-Machine, M2M) telsiz iletişime doğru yönelmiş bulunmaktadır. M2M telsiz iletişiminde bir araştırma/uygulama alanı araçtan-nesnelere (Vehicle-to-things, V2X) haberleşmedir. Araçtan araca (Vehicle-to-Vehicle, V2V) ve araçtan yol kenarındaki baz istasyonuna (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure, V2I) olmak üzere iki haberleşme sistemini birlikte içeren V2X haberleşme sistemleri günümüzde özellikle büyük metropollerde günlük hayatı pek çok yönden olumsuz etkileyen trafik kaynaklı problemlere karşı getirdiği çözüm önerileri nedeniyle üniversitlerde teorik çalışmalar yapan araştırmacıların yanı sıra, resmi kurumların, standartları belirleyen organizasyonların ve özellille otomotiv ve bilişim endüstrisindeki şirketlerin gittikçe artan dikkatini çekmeyi başarmıştır. Araçlar arası haberleşme teknolojilerinin gelişimine ivme kazandıran önemli gelişmelere bakılacak olursa; 1999 yılında ABD’de Federal Communication Comission (FCC) 5.9GHz frekans bandında 75MHz’lik bir frekans bandının V2X haberleşme için kullanımını onaylamıştır. 2008 yılında ise Avrupa haberleşme standardları enstitüsü (European Telecommunication Standards Institute) yine 5.9GHz frekans bandında 30Mhz’lik bir bandın bu amaçla kullanılmasını önermiştir. FCC’nin 2003 yılında ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) uygulamalarında kullanılacak haberleşme birimleri için yayımladığı rapor ve talebin ardından DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) olarak adlandırılan V2X haberleşme sistemlerinin standardizasyonu için çalışmalar başlamış ve 2004 yılında IEEE 802.11standardı temel alınarak geliştirilen IEEE 802.11p standardı WAVE (Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments) olarak da bilinen adıyla 2010 yılında kabul edilmiştir. Bugün artık pek çok üniversitede çeşitli araştırma grupları V2X haberleşme üzerine akademik çalışmalar yürütürken endüstriyel seviyede ise Avrupa’da örneğin büyük ölçekli Avrupa Birliği projeleri olarak CAR2CAR Communication Corsortium, Secure Vehicular Communication ve NEARCTIS yürütülmektedir. Amerika’da ise ulaştırma bakanlığının desteklediği IntelliDrive projesi ile güvenlik, mobil iletişim ve çevre koruma amaçlı hedefler doğrultusunda trafik altyapısı, araçlar ve yolcuların mobil haberleşme cihazları arasında haberleşmeyi sağlayacak bir telsiz iletişim ağı alt yapısı kurma çalışmaları sürdürülmektedir. Benzer çalışmalar Japon Otomobil Teknolojileri Araştırma Enstitüsü JARI tarafından da yapılmaktadır. Yine V2V haberleşmenin trafik güvenliğini arttırmadaki öneminin anlaşılmasından sonra lider otomobil üreticisi firmalar “Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership” adını verdikleri proje için ortak çatı altında biraraya gelmişlerdir. Kısaca belirtilmek istenirse, telsiz iletişim alanında V2X haberleşme yeni ama oldukça önemli bir çalışma alanı olarak görülmektedir. Günümüz telsiz haberleşme teknolojilerinden biri olan araçtan araca haberleşme, trafik verimliliğini arttırma, kazaların azaltılması ve trafikte güvenli sürüş konulara çözümler sağlayacak akıllı taşıma sistemlerinin gerçeklenmesinde çekirdek teknoloji konumundadır. Hücresel haberleşme ile karşılaştırıldığında, V2V haberleşme bazı yeni zorlukları içerir. V2V haberleşme kanallarının istatistiksel özellikleri hücresel telsiz haberleşme kanallarının istatistiksel özelliklerinden farklıdır. Bu nedenle, Rayleigh, Rician ve Nakagami-m gibi iyi bilinen hücresel haberleşme kanal modelleri V2V haberleşme kanallarındaki sönümlemeyi modellemek için uygun değildir. Yapılan saha ölçümlerinden görüldüğü üzere, V2V haberleşme kanallarında kanal kazancı, hareketli kaynaklar etrafında, her biri ayrı bir işaret kaynağı gibi davranan birbirinden bağımsız saçıcı gupların oluşturduğu sanal kanalların kanal kazançlarının çarpımından meydana gelmektedir. Kanal kazancının bu çarpımsallık niteliğinden dolayı V2V haberleşme kanalları kaskad sönümlemeli kanal modeli olarak adlandırılan bir grup kanal modeli ile modellenmelidirler. V2V haberleşmede karşılaşılan zorlukların bir nedeni, gerek haberleşen araçların gerekse onların etrafındaki diğer araçların yüksek hızlardaki hareketliliği nedeniyle haberleşme ortamının çevresel olarak çok hızlı değişmesidir. Bunun yanısıra araç antenlerinin görece düşük yükseklikte olmasının da etkisiyle, özellikle yerleşim birimleri içindeki yoğun trafik şartları düşünüldüğünde, haberleşen araçlar arasında çoğu zaman doğrudan görüş olmayacaktır. Bu da iletişimin sürekliliği ve güvenilirliği açısından işbirlikli haberleşmeyi kaçınılmaz kılmaktadır. Ancak doğrudan haberleşmeye nazaran daha fazla zaman dilimi gereksinimi işbirlikli sistemlerin temel dezavantajıdır. Veri iletim hızında kayba neden olan bu dezavantajı yok etmenin bir yolu, iki haberleşme biriminin aynı zaman aralığında aynı röle üzerinden veri aktarmasına imkan tanıyan fiziksel katman ağ kodlama (Physical Layer Network Coding, PLNC) tekniğidir. Ani gelişen durumların çok sayıda kullanıcıya kısa sürede bildirilmesini gerektirecek trafik içi haberleşmede PLNC tekniği yüksek başarımlı V2V haberleşme sistemlerinin tasarımında önemli bir rol oynayacaktır. Bu tezde sunulan çalışmalar üç grupta ele alınabilir. Birinci gruptaki ilk çalışmada tek antenli tek röleli ve röle üzerinde sabit kazançlı kuvvetlendir-ve-aktar tekniği kullanılarak PLNC yapılan bir işbirlikli V2V haberleşme sistemi tasarlanmıştır. Sistemin performans analizleri kaskad Nakagami-m kanal modeli varsayımı altında yapılmış olup bu kanal modeli, araçlar arası haberleşmeye uygun olan çift Rayleigh, kaskad Rayleigh, çift Nakagami-m ve genelleştirilmiş-K kanal modellerinin yanı sıra geleneksel hücresel haberleşme kanal modellerini de kapsamaktadır. Dolayısıyla bu çalışmada elde edilen sonuçlar bu kanal modelleri için de geçerlidir. Sistemin hata performans analizleri yapılırken öncelikle uçtan-uca işaret gürültü oranına ait birikimsel olasılık dağılım fonksiyonu kapalı formda elde edilmiş, ardından bu dağılım fonksiyonu kullanılarak sistemin servis kesinti olasılığı ve çeşitli modülasyon tipleri için sembol hata olasılığı ifadeleri kapalı formda bulunmuştur. Bu analizlerin bir devamı olarak, birinci grupta yapılan ikinci çalışmada ise, kaynaklarda öz-girişim işaretinin tam olarak yok edilemediği durumlar için yine tek antenli tek röleli rölede sabit kazançlı kuvvetlendir-ve-aktar tekniği kullanılarak PLNC yapılan sistemin performans analizi kaskad ve hızlı sönümlemeli Rayleigh kanal varsayımı altında yapılmış ve sisteme ait servis kesinti olasılığı ifadesi kapalı formda elde edilerek öz girişimin sistem performansına etkileri incelenmiştir. Tezde yer alan ikinci grup çalışmada, çok girişli çok çıkışlı (multiple input multiple output, MIMO) bir V2V haberleşme sistemi tasarlanmıştır. Sistemde birden çok röle olup kaynaklar ve tüm röleler çok antenlidir. Ayrıca röleler değişken kazançlı kuvvetlendir-ve-aktar tekniği uygulayarak PLNC yapmaktadır. Bu çalışmada da kaskad Nakagami-m kanal modeli kullanıldığından elde edilen sonuçlar yukarıda bahsedilen diğer kaskad veya kaskad olmayan kanal modelleri için de geçerlidir. Burada yapılan analizler ile tüm sistemin servis kesinti performansı kaynakların ortak servis kesinti olasılıkları cinsinden ifade edilerek bu olasılık tek katlı integral formunda bulunmuştur. Ardından servis kesinti olasılığı için alt ve üst sınır ifadeleri kapalı formda elde edilmiştir. Bulunan sınır ifadeleri aracılığıyla sistemde elde edilebilecek çeşitleme derecesi, röle sayısı, kaynak ve rölelerde kullanılan anten sayıları ve kanalların kaskadlık dereceleri ve sönümleme parametrelerinin aldığı değerlere bağlı olarak sistem parametreleri cinsinden ifade edilmiştir. Tasarlanan bu sistem ile ortak anten ve röle seçimi yapılarak V2V haberleşme sistemlerinin performansının daha da iyileştirilebileceği gösterilmiştir. Tezde yapılan üçüncü çalışmada PLNC yapılan bir çok antenli çok röleli V2V haberleşme sisteminde uzay-zaman kafes kodlama tekniği kullanılarak sistem performansının daha da iyileştirilmesi sağlanmıştır. Bu amaçla öncelikle sistemin çiftsel hata olasılığı için bir üst sınır ifadesi çift Rayleigh sönümlemeli kanal varsayımı için elde edilmiştir. Daha sonra bu olasılığı en küçük yapacak kodların inşaası için yeni bir kod tasarım ölçütü türetilmiş ve bu ölçüt kullanılarak çift Rayleigh sönümlemeli kanallarda PLNC tekniği kullanan MIMO V2V haberleşme sistemler için 4 ve 8 durumlu yeni uzay-zaman kafes kodları bulunmuştur.As a current state-of-the-art in wireless communications, Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications is the core technology to build the intelligent transportation infrastructures promising the solutions to the issues such as traffic efficiency increasing, accident reduction and safety improvements. In comparison with the cellular wireless communication, there are some new challenges within the V2V communication. The statistical properties of the V2V communication channels differ from those of the cellular channels. Thereby, well known cellular channel models such as Rayleigh, Rician and Nakagami-m are not appropriate to simulate the fading in V2V communication channels. Field measurements reveal that V2V communication channels can be modeled by a class of channel models where the gain is obtained by multiplying the gains of virtual channels produced by each individual scattering group around that behaves as an independent signal source. Due to their multiplicativity nature, V2V communication channels are named as cascaded fading channels. A major challenge in V2V communications is that the physical environment is unsettled due to the mobility of the wireless units and other vehicles around these units. Additionally, the vehicle antennas have relatively lower heights. Therefore, especially considering the traffic in urban areas, most of the time there will be no line-of-sight between the communicating vehicles. This makes cooperative communications inevitable for seamless and reliable communication among the moving vehicles. And yet, compared to non-cooperative communication, the cooperation protocols require more time slots, which results in a decrease in data transmission rate. A method to cope with this drawback is physical layer network coding (PLNC) providing the simultaneous data transmissions of the vehicles via the same relay. The PLNC method will play an important role in the design of the high performance V2V communication systems serving in the heavy traffic conditions when a large number of users need to be notified about suddenly changing situations. Studies presented in this thesis can be divided into three categories. In the first category, a cooperative V2V communication system employing PLNC using fixed gain amplify-and-forward technique is proposed and its outage and error performance analysis is investigated. Analytic results are derived under the cascaded Nakagami-m fading channel model assumption covering double Rayleigh, cascaded Rayleigh, double Nakagami-m, generalized-K and conventional cellular channel models as well. Therefore, the results obtained by this work are also valid for all these channel models. In the error performance investigation of the proposed system, first, exact cumulative density function of the end to end signal to noise ratio is derived. Then, using this cumulative density function, the exact closed-form outage probability is obtained. Then the exact closed-form symbol error rate expression for various modulation types is derived. As a continuation of this work, the performance analysis of the same system is investigated for not only cascaded but also fast fading Rayleigh channels in the presence of the self-interference. Thus the exact closed-form outage probability expression is obtained, and it is shown that the self-interference may cause the error floor in the performance of the network coded communication systems. In the second category, a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) V2V communication system is proposed. In this proposed system, all source and relay vehicles have multiple antennas while the relays employ the PLNC method using variable gain amplify-and-forward technique. The analytic results are derived for the cascaded Nakagami-m fading channels, and therefore the result of this work are held for the cascaded and non-cascaded channels, as mentioned above. Furthermore, the performance of the system is evaluated in terms of joint outage probability of the sources, and the exact outage probability expression is obtained in a single integral form while the upper and the lower bounds of the outage probability are obtained in the closed-form. Moreover, asymptotic diversity order is quantified as a function of the number of the relays, the number of the antennas at the sources and the relays, and the channel parameters which are cascading degree and fading parameter values. Within this system, it is shown that the service outage probability performance can be enhanced by employing joint antenna and relay selection. In the third category, PLNC and space-time trellis coding (STTC) techniques are combined to improve the error performance of a multi-antenna multi-relay V2V system. The upper bound expression of the pairwise error probability of the system is evaluated for double Rayleigh fading channels. Then using the upper bound expression, a novel code-design criterion is derived for cascaded fading channels. Then, by using this new criterion, a novel STTCs with 4 and 8 states are proposed for MIMO V2V PLNC systems.DoktoraPh.D

Coherent and Non-coherent Techniques for Cooperative Communications

Future wireless network may consist of a cluster of low-complexity battery-powered nodes or mobile stations (MS). Information is propagated from one location in the network to another by cooperation and relaying. Due to the channel fading or node failure, one or more relaying links could become unreliable during multiple-hop relaying. Inspired by conventional multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques exploiting multiple co-located transmit antennas to introduce temporal and spatial diversity, the error performance and robustness against channel fading of a multiple-hop cooperative network could be significantly improved by creating a virtual antenna array (VAA) with various distributed MIMO techniques. In this thesis, we concentrate on the low-complexity distributed MIMO designed for both coherent and non-coherent diversity signal reception at the destination node. Further improvement on the network throughput as well as spectral efficiency could be achieved by extending the concept of unidirectional relaying to bidirectional cooperative communication. Physical-layer network coding (PLNC) assisted distributed space-time block coding (STBC) scheme as well as non-coherent PLNC aided distributed differential STBC system are proposed. It is confirmed by the theoretical analysis that both approaches have the potential for offering full spatial diversity gain. 　　 Furthermore, differential encoding and non-coherent detection techniques are generally associated with performance degradation due to the doubled noise variance. More importantly, conventional differential schemes suffer from the incapability of recovering the source information in time-varying channels owing to the assumption of static channel model used in the derivation of non-coherent detection algorithm. Several low-complexity solutions are proposed and studied in this thesis, which are able to compensate the performance loss caused by non-coherent detection and guarantee the reliable recovery of information in applications with high mobility. A substantial amount of iteration gain is achieved by combining the differential encoding with error-correction code and sufficient interleaving, which allows iterative possessing at the receiver

A universal space-time architecture for multiple-antenna aided systems

In this tutorial, we first review the family of conventional multiple-antenna techniques, and then we provide a general overview of the recent concept of the powerful Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) family based on a universal Space-Time Shift Keying (STSK) philosophy. When appropriately configured, the proposed STSK scheme has the potential of outperforming conventional MIMO arrangements

Self-concatenated coding for wireless communication systems

In this thesis, we have explored self-concatenated coding schemes that are designed for transmission over Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channels. We designed both the symbol-based Self-ConcatenatedCodes considered using Trellis Coded Modulation (SECTCM) and bit-based Self- Concatenated Convolutional Codes (SECCC) using a Recursive Systematic Convolutional (RSC) encoder as constituent codes, respectively. The design of these codes was carried out with the aid of Extrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) charts. The EXIT chart based design has been found an efficient tool in finding the decoding convergence threshold of the constituent codes. Additionally, in order to recover the information loss imposed by employing binary rather than non-binary schemes, a soft decision demapper was introduced in order to exchange extrinsic information withthe SECCC decoder. To analyse this information exchange 3D-EXIT chart analysis was invoked for visualizing the extrinsic information exchange between the proposed Iteratively Decoding aided SECCC and soft-decision demapper (SECCC-ID). Some of the proposed SECTCM, SECCC and SECCC-ID schemes perform within about 1 dB from the AWGN and Rayleigh fading channels’ capacity. A union bound analysis of SECCC codes was carried out to find the corresponding Bit Error Ratio (BER) floors. The union bound of SECCCs was derived for communications over both AWGN and uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channels, based on a novel interleaver concept.Application of SECCCs in both UltraWideBand (UWB) and state-of-the-art video-telephone schemes demonstrated its practical benefits.In order to further exploit the benefits of the low complexity design offered by SECCCs we explored their application in a distributed coding scheme designed for cooperative communications, where iterative detection is employed by exchanging extrinsic information between the decoders of SECCC and RSC at the destination. In the first transmission period of cooperation, the relay receives the potentially erroneous data and attempts to recover the information. The recovered information is then re-encoded at the relay using an RSC encoder. In the second transmission period this information is then retransmitted to the destination. The resultant symbols transmitted from the source and relay nodes can be viewed as the coded symbols of a three-component parallel-concatenated encoder. At the destination a Distributed Binary Self-Concatenated Coding scheme using Iterative Decoding (DSECCC-ID) was employed, where the two decoders (SECCC and RSC) exchange their extrinsic information. It was shown that the DSECCC-ID is a low-complexity scheme, yet capable of approaching the Discrete-input Continuous-output Memoryless Channels’s (DCMC) capacity.Finally, we considered coding schemes designed for two nodes communicating with each other with the aid of a relay node, where the relay receives information from the two nodes in the first transmission period. At the relay node we combine a powerful Superposition Coding (SPC) scheme with SECCC. It is assumed that decoding errors may be encountered at the relay node. The relay node then broadcasts this information in the second transmission period after re-encoding it, again, using a SECCC encoder. At the destination, the amalgamated block of Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC) scheme combined with SECCC then detects and decodes the signal either with or without the aid of a priori information. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme is capable of reliably operating at a low BER for transmission over both AWGN and uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channels. We compare the proposed scheme’s performance to a direct transmission link between the two sources having the same throughput

Novel transmission schemes for application in two-way cooperative relay wireless communication networks

Recently, cooperative relay networks have emerged as an attractive communications technique that can generate a new form of spatial diversity which is known as cooperative diversity, that can enhance system reliability without sacrificing the scarce bandwidth resource or consuming more transmit power. To achieve cooperative diversity single-antenna terminals in a wireless relay network typically share their antennas to form a virtual antenna array on the basis of their distributed locations. As such, the same diversity gains as in multi-input multi-output systems can be achieved without requiring multiple-antenna terminals. However, there remain technical challenges to maximize the benefit of cooperative communications, e.g. data rate, asynchronous transmission, interference and outage. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is to exploit cooperative relay networks within two-way transmission schemes. Such schemes have the potential to double the data rate as compared to one-way transmission schemes. Firstly, a new approach to two-way cooperative communications via extended distributed orthogonal space-time block coding (E-DOSTBC) based on phase rotation feedback is proposed with four relay nodes. This scheme can achieve full cooperative diversity and full transmission rate in addition to array gain. Then, distributed orthogonal space-time block coding (DOSTBC) is applied within an asynchronous two-way cooperative wireless relay network using two relay nodes. A parallel interference cancelation (PIC) detection scheme with low structural and computational complexity is applied at the terminal nodes in order to overcome the effect of imperfect synchronization among the cooperative relay nodes. Next, a DOSTBC scheme based on cooperative orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) type transmission is proposed for flat fading channels which can overcome imperfect synchronization in the network. As such, this technique can effectively cope with the effects of fading and timing errors. Moreover, to increase the end-to-end data rate, a closed-loop EDOSTBC approach using through a three-time slot framework is proposed. A full interference cancelation scheme with OFDM and cyclic prefix type transmission is used in a two-hop cooperative four relay network with asynchronism in the both hops to achieve full data rate and completely cancel the timing error. The topic of outage probability analysis in the context of multi-relay selection for one-way cooperative amplify and forward networks is then considered. Local measurements of the instantaneous channel conditions are used to select the best single and best two relays from a number of available relays. Asymptotical conventional polices are provided to select the best single and two relays from a number of available relays. Finally, the outage probability of a two-way amplify and forward relay network with best and Mth relay selection is analyzed. The relay selection is performed either on the basis of a max-min strategy or one based on maximizing exact end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio. MATLAB and Maple software based simulations are employed throughout the thesis to support the analytical results and assess the performance of new algorithms and methods

Rate enhancement and multi-relay selection schemes for application in wireless cooperative networks

In this thesis new methods are presented to achieve performance enhancement in wireless cooperative networks. In particular, techniques to improve transmission rate, mitigate asynchronous transmission and maximise end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio are described. An offset transmission scheme with full interference cancellation for a two-hop synchronous network with frequency flat links and four relays is introduced. This approach can asymptotically, as the symbol block size increases, achieve maximum transmission rate together with full cooperative diversity provided the destination node has multiple antennas. A novel full inter-relay interference cancellation method that also achieves asymptotically maximum rate and full cooperative diversity is then designed which only requires a single antenna at the destination node. Extension to asynchronous networks is then considered through the use of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) type transmission with a cyclic prefix, and interference cancellation techniques are designed for situations when synchronization errors are present in only the second hop or both the first and second hop. End-to-end bit error rate evaluations, with and without outer coding, are used to assess the performance of the various offset transmission schemes. Multi-relay selection methods for cooperative amplify and forward type networks are then studied in order to overcome the degradation of end-to-end bit error rate performance in single-relay selection networks when there are feedback errors in the destination to relay node links. Outage probability analysis for two and four relay selection is performed to show the advantage of multi-relay selection when no interference occurs and when adjacent cell interference is present both at the relay nodes and the destination node. Simulation studies are included which support the theoretical expressions. Finally, outage probability analysis of a cognitive amplify and forward type relay network with cooperation between certain secondary users, chosen by single and multi-relay (two and four) selection is presented. The cognitive relays are assumed to exploit an underlay approach, which requires adherence to an interference constraint on the primary user. The relay selection is performed either with a max-min strategy or one based on maximising exact end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio. The analyses are again confirmed by numerical evaluations