A Rate-Splitting Approach To Robust Multiuser MISO Transmission

For multiuser MISO systems with bounded uncertainties in the Channel State Information (CSI), we consider two classical robust design problems: maximizing the minimum rate subject to a transmit power constraint, and power minimization under a rate constraint. Contrary to conventional strategies, we propose a Rate-Splitting (RS) strategy where each message is divided into two parts, a common part and a private part. All common parts are packed into one super common message encoded using a shared codebook and decoded by all users, while private parts are independently encoded and retrieved by their corresponding users. We prove that RS-based designs achieve higher max-min Degrees of Freedom (DoF) compared to conventional designs (NoRS) for uncertainty regions that scale with SNR. For the special case of non-scaling uncertainty regions, RS contrasts with NoRS and achieves a non-saturating max-min rate. In the power minimization problem, RS is shown to combat the feasibility problem arising from multiuser interference in NoRS. A robust design of precoders for RS is proposed, and performance gains over NoRS are demonstrated through simulations.Comment: To appear in ICASSP 201

Sum-Rate Maximization for Linearly Precoded Downlink Multiuser MISO Systems with Partial CSIT: A Rate-Splitting Approach

This paper considers the Sum-Rate (SR) maximization problem in downlink MU-MISO systems under imperfect Channel State Information at the Transmitter (CSIT). Contrary to existing works, we consider a rather unorthodox transmission scheme. In particular, the message intended to one of the users is split into two parts: a common part which can be recovered by all users, and a private part recovered by the corresponding user. On the other hand, the rest of users receive their information through private messages. This Rate-Splitting (RS) approach was shown to boost the achievable Degrees of Freedom (DoF) when CSIT errors decay with increased SNR. In this work, the RS strategy is married with linear precoder design and optimization techniques to achieve a maximized Ergodic SR (ESR) performance over the entire range of SNRs. Precoders are designed based on partial CSIT knowledge by solving a stochastic rate optimization problem using means of Sample Average Approximation (SAA) coupled with the Weighted Minimum Mean Square Error (WMMSE) approach. Numerical results show that in addition to the ESR gains, the benefits of RS also include relaxed CSIT quality requirements and enhanced achievable rate regions compared to conventional transmission with NoRS.Comment: accepted to IEEE Transactions on Communication

Scaling up MIMO: Opportunities and Challenges with Very Large Arrays

This paper surveys recent advances in the area of very large MIMO systems. With very large MIMO, we think of systems that use antenna arrays with an order of magnitude more elements than in systems being built today, say a hundred antennas or more. Very large MIMO entails an unprecedented number of antennas simultaneously serving a much smaller number of terminals. The disparity in number emerges as a desirable operating condition and a practical one as well. The number of terminals that can be simultaneously served is limited, not by the number of antennas, but rather by our inability to acquire channel-state information for an unlimited number of terminals. Larger numbers of terminals can always be accommodated by combining very large MIMO technology with conventional time- and frequency-division multiplexing via OFDM. Very large MIMO arrays is a new research field both in communication theory, propagation, and electronics and represents a paradigm shift in the way of thinking both with regards to theory, systems and implementation. The ultimate vision of very large MIMO systems is that the antenna array would consist of small active antenna units, plugged into an (optical) fieldbus.Comment: Accepted for publication in the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, October 201