Two-Layered Superposition of Broadcast/Multicast and Unicast Signals in Multiuser OFDMA Systems

We study optimal delivery strategies of one common and $K$ independent messages from a source to multiple users in wireless environments. In particular, two-layered superposition of broadcast/multicast and unicast signals is considered in a downlink multiuser OFDMA system. In the literature and industry, the two-layer superposition is often considered as a pragmatic approach to make a compromise between the simple but suboptimal orthogonal multiplexing (OM) and the optimal but complex fully-layered non-orthogonal multiplexing. In this work, we show that only two-layers are necessary to achieve the maximum sum-rate when the common message has higher priority than the $K$ individual unicast messages, and OM cannot be sum-rate optimal in general. We develop an algorithm that finds the optimal power allocation over the two-layers and across the OFDMA radio resources in static channels and a class of fading channels. Two main use-cases are considered: i) Multicast and unicast multiplexing when $K$ users with uplink capabilities request both common and independent messages, and ii) broadcast and unicast multiplexing when the common message targets receive-only devices and $K$ users with uplink capabilities additionally request independent messages. Finally, we develop a transceiver design for broadcast/multicast and unicast superposition transmission based on LTE-A-Pro physical layer and show with numerical evaluations in mobile environments with multipath propagation that the capacity improvements can be translated into significant practical performance gains compared to the orthogonal schemes in the 3GPP specifications. We also analyze the impact of real channel estimation and show that significant gains in terms of spectral efficiency or coverage area are still available even with estimation errors and imperfect interference cancellation for the two-layered superposition system

Effects of channel estimation on multiuser virtual MIMO-OFDMA relay-based networks

In this paper, a practical multi-user cooperative transmission scheme denoted as Virtual Maximum Ratio Transmission (VMRT) for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (MIMO-OFDMA) Relay-based networks is proposed and evaluated in the presence of a realistic channel estimation algorithm. It is shown that this scheme is robust against channel estimation errors and offers diversity and array gain keeping the complexity low, although the multi-user and multi-antenna channel estimation algorithm is simple and efficient. Diversity gains larger than 4 can be easily obtained with reduced number of relays. Thus, this scheme can be used to extend coverage or increase system throughput by using simple cooperative OFDMA-based relays

Effects of channel estimation on multiuser virtual MIMO-OFDMA relay-based networks

In this paper, a practical multi-user cooperative transmission scheme denoted as Virtual Maximum Ratio Transmission (VMRT) for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output - Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (MIMO-OFDMA) Relay-based networks is proposed and evaluated in the presence of a realistic channel estimation algorithm. It is shown that this scheme is robust against channel estimation errors and offers diversity and array gain keeping the complexity low, although the multi-user and multi-antenna channel estimation algorithm is simple and efficient. Diversity gains larger than 4 can be easily obtained with reduced number of relays. Thus, this scheme can be used to extend coverage or increase system throughput by using simple cooperative OFDMA-based relays