The degrees-of-freedom (DoF) of the multi-antenna three-way channel (3WC) with an intermittent node is studied. Special attention is given to the impact of adaptation. A nonadaptive transmission scheme based on interference alignment, zero-forcing, and erasure-channel treatment is proposed, and its corresponding DoF region is derived. Then, it is shown that this scheme achieves the sum-DoF of the intermittent channel, in addition to the DoF region of the nonintermittent one. Thus, adaptation is not necessary from those perspectives. To the contrary, it is shown that adaptation is necessary for achieving the DoF region of the intermittent case. This is shown by deriving an outer bound for the intermittent channel with nonadaptive encoding, and giving a counterexample of an adaptive scheme which achieves DoF tuples outside this bound. This highlights the importance of cooperation in this intermittent network.
This paper considers three aspects of Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) communication networks that have received little attention in previous works, but are important to understand when designing and implementing this promising wireless technology. First, we analyze how bursty data traffic behaviors affect the system. Using a probabilistic model for intermittent user activity, we show that the spectral efficiency (SE) scales gracefully with reduced user activity. Then, we make an analytic comparison between synchronous and asynchronous pilot signaling, and prove that the choice be…
The characterization of fundamental performance bounds of many-to-many communication systems in which participating nodes are active in an intermittent way is one of the major challenges in communication theory. In order to address this issue, we introduce the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) three-way channel (3WC) with an intermittent node and study its degrees-of-freedom (DoF) region and sum-DoF. We devise a non-adaptive encoding scheme based on zero-forcing, interference alignment and erasure coding, and show its DoF region (and thus sum-DoF) optimality for non-intermittent 3WCs and i…
Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems need to support massive connectivity for the application of the Internet of things (IoT). The overhead of channel state information (CSI) acquisition becomes a bottleneck in the system performance due to the increasing number of users. An intermittent estimation scheme is proposed to ease the burden of channel estimation and maximize the sum capacity. In the scheme, we exploit the temporal correlation of MIMO channels and analyze the influence of the age of CSI on the downlink transmission rate using linear precoders. We show the CSI updati…
In this paper, we investigate the performance of cell-free massive MIMO systems with massive connectivity. With the generalized approximate message passing (GAMP) algorithm, we obtain the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) estimate of the effective channel coefficients from all users to all access points (APs) in order to perform joint user activity detection and channel estimation. Subsequently, using the decoupling properties of MMSE estimation for large linear systems and state evolution equations of the GAMP algorithm, we obtain the variances of both the estimated channel coefficients and t…
In this paper, we propose an iterative interference alignment (IA) algorithm for MIMO cellular networks with partial connectivity, which is induced by heterogeneous path losses and spatial correlation. Such systems impose several key technical challenges in the IA algorithm design, namely the overlapping between the direct and interfering links due to the MIMO cellular topology as well as how to exploit the partial connectivity. We shall address these challenges and propose a three stage IA algorithm. As illustration, we analyze the achievable degree of freedom (DoF) of the proposed algorithm …
We consider a multicast scenario involving an ad hoc network of co-channel MIMO nodes in which a source node attempts to share a streaming message with all nodes in the network via some pre-defined multi-hop routing tree. The message is assumed to be broken down into packets, and the transmission is conducted over multiple frames. Each frame is divided into time slots, and each link in the routing tree is assigned one time slot in which to transmit its current packet. We present an algorithm for determining the number of time slots and the scheduling of the links in these time slots in order t…
Massive MIMO is considered to be one of the key technologies in the emerging 5G systems, but also a concept applicable to other wireless systems. Exploiting the large number of degrees of freedom (DoFs) of massive MIMO essential for achieving high spectral efficiency, high data rates and extreme spatial multiplexing of densely distributed users. On the one hand, the benefits of applying massive MIMO for broadband communication are well known and there has been a large body of research on designing communication schemes to support high rates. On the other hand, using massive MIMO for Internet-o…
This two-part paper aims to quantify the cost of device activity detection in an uplink massive connectivity scenario with a large number of devices but device activities are sporadic. Part I of this paper shows that in an asymptotic massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) regime, device activity detection can always be made perfect. Part II of this paper subsequently shows that despite the perfect device activity detection, there is nevertheless significant cost due to device detection in terms of overall achievable rate, because of the fact that non-orthogonal pilot sequences have to b…
Cell-free massive MIMO is one of the key technologies for future wireless communications, in which users are simultaneously and jointly served by all access points (APs). In this paper, we investigate the minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimation of effective channel coefficients in cell-free massive MIMO systems with massive connectivity. To facilitate the theoretical analysis, only single measurement vector (SMV) based MMSE estimation is considered in this paper, i.e., the MMSE estimation is performed based on the received pilot signals at each AP separately. Inspired by the decoupling pri…
In this paper, we study how to efficiently and reliably detect active devices and estimate their channels in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) based grant-free non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) system to enable massive machine-type communications (mMTC). First, by exploiting the correlation of the channel frequency responses in narrow-band mMTC, we propose a block-wise linear channel model. Specifically, the continuous OFDM subcarriers in the narrow-band are divided into several sub-blocks and a linear function with only two variables…
This two-part paper considers an uplink massive device communication scenario in which a large number of devices are connected to a base-station (BS), but user traffic is sporadic so that in any given coherence interval, only a subset of users are active. The objective is to quantify the cost of active user detection and channel estimation and to characterize the overall achievable rate of a grant-free two-phase access scheme in which device activity detection and channel estimation are performed jointly using pilot sequences in the first phase and data is transmitted in the second phase. In o…
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are proliferating. Applications, such as surveillance, disaster management, and drone racing, place high requirements on the communication with the drones in terms of throughput, reliability, and latency. The existing wireless technologies, notably Wi-Fi, that are currently used for drone connectivity are limited to short ranges and low-mobility situations. New, scalable technology is needed to meet future demands on long connectivity ranges, support for fast-moving drones, and the possibility to simultaneously communicate with entire swar…
Cell-free massive MIMO provides ubiquitous connectivity for multiple users, and implementation using radio stripes is very efficient. This paper proposes a parallel scheme for radio stripes to allow access point to do signal processing simultaneously. Simple maximum ratio (MR) processing works in this scheme, but its performance is bad. Therefore, this paper further proposes two efficient parallel schemes to gain better performance. The first is interference-aware MR processing with a tailored user-centric strategy. The second is distributed regularized zero-forcing (D-RZF) algorithm which der…
We provide a deterministic channel model for a scenario where wireless connectivity is established through a reflection from a planar smooth surface of an infinite extent. The developed model is rigorously built upon the physics of wave propagation, and is as precise as tight are the unboundedness and smoothness assumptions on the surface. This model allows establishing that line-of-sight spatial multiplexing can take place via reflection off an electrically large surface, a situation of high interest for mmWave and terahertz frequencies.
We study the effects of instantaneous feedback of channel topology on the degrees of freedom (DoF) of the bursty MIMO X channel, where the four transmitter-receiver links are intermittently on-and-off, governed by four independent Bernoulli $(p)$ random sequences, and each transmitter and receiver are equipped with $M$ and $N$ antennas, respectively. We partially characterize this channel: The sum DoF is characterized when $p\le \frac{1}{2}$ or when $\frac{\min(M,N)}{\max(M,N)} \le \frac{2}{3}$. In the remaining regime, the lower bound is within $5.2\%$ of the upper bound. Strictly higher DoF …
Recent works on MIMO interference channels have shown that interference alignment can significantly increase the achievable degrees of freedom (DoF) of the network. However, most of these works have assumed a fully connected interference graph. In this paper, we investigate how the partial connectivity can be exploited to enhance system performance in MIMO interference networks. We propose a novel interference mitigation scheme which introduces constraints for the signal subspaces of the precoders and decorrelators to mitigate "many" interference nulling constraints at a cost of "little" freed…
For future networks (i.e., the fifth generation (5G) wireless networks and beyond), millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication with large available unlicensed spectrum is a promising technology that enables gigabit multimedia applications. Thanks to the short wavelength of mmWave radio, massive antenna arrays can be packed into the limited dimensions of mmWave transceivers. Therefore, with directional beamforming (BF), both mmWave transmitters (MTXs) and mmWave receivers (MRXs) are capable of supporting multiple beams in 5G networks. However, for the transmission between an MTX and an MRX, most wo…
We study the sum degrees of freedom (DoF) of the bursty MIMO X channel without feedback, where the four transmitter-receiver links are intermittently on-and-off, controlled by four Bernoulli random sequences which may be arbitrarily correlated, subject to a symmetry assumption: The two direct-links have the same level of burstiness, modeled by $\mathrm{Ber}(p_d)$, and so do the cross-links, modeled by $\mathrm{Ber}(p_c)$. The sum DoF is fully characterized in the regime where $\frac{p_c}{p_d}$ is small, i.e. below a certain threshold, and is partially characterized in the other regime where $\…
The huge and increasing demand of data connectivity motivates the development of new and effective power line communication (PLC) channel models, which are able to faithfully describe a real communication scenario. This is of fundamental importance since a good model represents a quick evaluation tool for new standards or devices, allowing a considerable saving in time and costs. The aim of this paper is to discuss a novel top-down MIMO PLC synthetic channel model, able to numerically emulate a real PLC environment. First, the most common channel modeling strategies are briefly described, high…
The Internet-of-Things (IoT) emerges as a paradigm to achieve ubiquitous connectivity via wireless communications between kinds of physical objects. Due to the wireless broadcasting nature and the energy constraint of physical objects, concerns on IoT security have triggered research on cooperative jamming based physical layer security. With the help of a cooperative jammer, existing solutions can effectively fight against eavesdroppers. However, these schemes are of high energy cost due to continuously transmitting jamming signals. To reduce the energy consumption, we propose a new idea of in…
In order to gain new insights into MIMO interference networks, the optimality of $\sum_{k=1}^K M_k/2$ (half the cake per user) degrees of freedom is explored for a $K$-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) interference channel where the cross-channels have arbitrary rank constraints, and the $k^{th}$ transmitter and receiver are equipped with $M_k$ antennas each. The result consolidates and significantly generalizes results from prior studies by Krishnamurthy et al., of rank-deficient interference channels where all users have $M$ antennas, and by Tang et al., of full rank interference ch…
Random access is necessary in crowded scenarios due to the limitation of pilot sequences and the intermittent pattern of device activity. Nowadays, most of the related works are based on independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) channels. However, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels are not always i.i.d. in realistic outdoor wireless propagation environments. In this paper, a device grouping and pilot set allocation algorithm is proposed for the uplink massive MIMO systems over spatially correlated Rayleigh fading channels. Firstly, devices are divided into multiple g…
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 …
From Specialist to Large Models: A Paradigm Evolution Towards Semantic-Aware MIMO
Beijing Institute of Technology（北京理工大学）；Peng Cheng Laboratory（鹏城实验室）；Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications（北京邮电大学）；Peking University（北京大学）；Singapore University of Technology and Design（新加坡科技设计大学）；Princeton University（普林斯顿大学）
The millimeter wave (mmWave) bands offer the possibility of orders of magnitude greater throughput for fifth generation (5G) cellular systems. However, since mmWave signals are highly susceptible to blockage, channel quality on any one mmWave link can be extremely intermittent. This paper implements a novel dual connectivity protocol that enables mobile user equipment (UE) devices to maintain physical layer connections to 4G and 5G cells simultaneously. A novel uplink control signaling system combined with a local coordinator enables rapid path switching in the event of failures on any one lin…
We propose a hybrid architecture that integrates RF (i.e., sub-6 GHz) and millimeter wave (mmWave) technologies for 5G cellular systems. In particular, communications in the mmWave band faces significant challenges due to variable channels, intermittent connectivity, and high energy usage. On the other hand, speeds for electronic processing of data is of the same order as typical rates for mmWave interfaces which makes the use of complex algorithms for tracking channel variations and adjusting resources accordingly impractical. Our proposed architecture integrates the RF and mmWave interfaces …
This paper considers joint active user detection (AUD) and channel estimation (CE) for massive connectivity scenarios with sporadic traffic. The state-of-art method under a Bayesian framework to perform joint AUD and CE in such scenarios is approximate message passing (AMP). However, the existing theoretical analysis of AMP-based joint AUD and CE can only be performed with a given fixed point of the AMP state evolution function, lacking the analysis of AMP phase transition and Bayes-optimality. In this paper, we propose a novel theoretical framework to analyze the performance of the joint AUD …
The recent extra-large scale massive multiple-input multiple-output (XL-MIMO) systems are seen as a promising technology for providing very high data rates in increased user-density scenarios. Spatial non-stationarities and visibility regions (VRs) appear across the XL-MIMO array since its large dimension is of the same order as the distances to the user-equipments (UEs). Due to the increased density of UEs in typical applications of XL-MIMO systems and the scarcity of pilots, the design of random access (RA) protocols and scheduling algorithms become challenging. In this paper, we propose a j…
Reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) is very promising for wireless networks to achieve high energy efficiency, extended coverage, improved capacity, massive connectivity, etc. To unleash the full potentials of RIS-aided communications, acquiring accurate channel state information is crucial, which however is very challenging. For RIS-aided multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) communications, the existing channel estimation methods have computational complexity growing rapidly with the number of RIS units $N$ (e.g., in the order of $N^2$ or $N^3$) and/or have special requirements on t…
The Full Dimension-MIMO (FD-MIMO) technology is capable of achieving huge improvements in network throughput with simultaneous connectivity of a large number of mobile wireless devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, and the Internet of Things (IoT). In FD-MIMO, with a large number of antennae at the base station and the ability to perform beamforming, the capacity of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) has increased a lot. However, the current specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) does not allow the base station to perform beamforming techniques for the physical …
Airy Beamforming for Radiative Near-Field MU-XL-MIMO: Overcoming Half-Space Blockage
Peng Cheng Laboratory（鹏城实验室）；State Key Laboratory of Millimeter Waves, School of Information Science and Engineering, Southeast University（东南大学信息科学与工程学院毫米波国家重点实验室）；Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore（新加坡国立大学电气与计算机工程系）；Purple Mountain Laboratories（紫金山实验室）；School of Electrical and Computer Science, Peking University（北京大学电子学与微电子学院）
Cell-free massive MIMO (CF-mMIMO) provides wireless connectivity for a large number of user equipments (UEs) using access points (APs) distributed across a wide area with high spectral efficiency (SE). The energy efficiency (EE) of the uplink is determined by (i) the transmit power control (TPC) algorithms, (ii) the numbers, configurations, and locations of the APs and the UEs, and (iii) the propagation channels between the APs and the UEs. This paper investigates all three aspects, based on extensive (~30,000 possible AP locations and 128 possible UE locations) channel measurement data at 3.5…
Generative Diffusion Model Driven Massive Random Access in Massive MIMO Systems
Beijing Institute of Technology（北京理工大学）；State Key Laboratory of CNS/ATM（通信网络与业务融合国家重点实验室）；MIIT Key Laboratory of Complex-Field Intelligent Sensing（复杂场智能感知工业和信息化部重点实验室）；Advanced Technology Research Institute, BIT（北京理工大学先进技术研究院）；Yangtze Delta Region Academy, BIT（北京理工大学长三角研究院）；Ocean University of China（中国海洋大学）；Singapore University of Technology and Design（新加坡科技设计大学）；Princeton University（普林斯顿大学）
