Showing papers on "Spectral efficiency published in 2007"

Spectral efficient protocols for half-duplex fading relay channels

Abstract: We study two-hop communication protocols where one or several relay terminals assist in the communication between two or more terminals. All terminals operate in half-duplex mode, hence the transmission of one information symbol from the source terminal to the destination terminal occupies two channel uses. This leads to a loss in spectral efficiency due to the pre-log factor one-half in corresponding capacity expressions. We propose two new half-duplex relaying protocols that avoid the pre-log factor one-half. Firstly, we consider a relaying protocol where a bidirectional connection between two terminals is established via one amplify-and-forward (AF) or decode-and-forward (DF) relay (two-way relaying). We also extend this protocol to a multi-user scenario, where multiple terminals communicate with multiple partner terminals via several orthogonalize-and-forward (OF) relay terminals, i.e., the relays orthogonalize the different two-way transmissions by a distributed zero-forcing algorithm. Secondly, we propose a relaying protocol where two relays, either AF or DF, alternately forward messages from a source terminal to a destination terminal (two-path relaying). It is shown that both protocols recover a significant portion of the half-duplex loss

Multicarrier sub-layer for direct sequence channel and multiple-access coding

Abstract: Carrier Interferometry (CI) provides wideband transmission protocols with frequency-band selectivity to improve interference rejection, reduce multipath fading, and enable operation across non-continuous frequency bands. Direct-sequence protocols, such as DS-CDMA, are provided with CI to greatly improve performance and reduce transceiver complexity. CI introduces families of orthogonal polyphase codes that can be used for channel coding, spreading, and/or multiple access. Unlike conventional DS-CDMA, CI coding is not necessary for energy spreading because a set of CI carriers has an inherently wide aggregate bandwidth. Instead, CI codes are used for channelization, energy smoothing in the frequency domain, and interference suppression. CI-based ultra-wideband protocols are implemented via frequency-domain processing to reduce synchronization problems, transceiver complexity, and poor multipath performance of conventional ultra-wideband systems. CI allows wideband protocols to be implemented with space-frequency processing and other array-processing techniques to provide either or both diversity combining and sub-space processing. CI also enables spatial processing without antenna arrays. Even the bandwidth efficiency of multicarrier protocols is greatly enhanced with CI. CI-based wavelets avoid time and frequency resolution trade-offs associated with conventional wavelet processing. CI-based Fourier transforms eliminate all multiplications, which greatly simplifies multi-frequency processing. The quantum-wave principles of CI improve all types of baseband and radio processing.

LTE Capacity Compared to the Shannon Bound

Abstract: In this paper we propose a modification to Shannon capacity bound in order to facilitate accurate benchmarking of UTRAN long term evolution (LTE). The method is generally applicable to wireless communication systems, while we have used LTE air-interface technology as a case study. We introduce an adjusted Shannon capacity formula, where we take into account the system bandwidth efficiency and the SNR efficiency of LTE. Separating these issues, allows for simplified parameter extraction. We show that the bandwidth efficiency can be calculated based on system parameters, while the SNR efficiency is extracted from detailed link level studies including advanced features of MIMO and frequency domain packet scheduling (FDPS). We then use the adjusted Shannon capacity formula combined with G-factor distributions for macro and micro cell scenarios to predict LTE cell spectral efficiency (SE). Such LTE SE predictions are compared to LTE cell SE results generated by system level simulations. The results show an excellent match of less that 5-10% deviation.

Uplink Capacity and Interference Avoidance for Two-Tier Femtocell Networks

Abstract: Two-tier femtocell networks-- comprising a conventional macrocellular network plus embedded femtocell hotspots-- offer an economically viable solution to achieving high cellular user capacity and improved coverage. With universal frequency reuse and DS-CDMA transmission however, the ensuing cross-tier cochannel interference (CCI) causes unacceptable outage probability. This paper develops an uplink capacity analysis and interference avoidance strategy in such a two-tier CDMA network. We evaluate a network-wide area spectral efficiency metric called the \emph{operating contour (OC)} defined as the feasible combinations of the average number of active macrocell users and femtocell base stations (BS) per cell-site that satisfy a target outage constraint. The capacity analysis provides an accurate characterization of the uplink outage probability, accounting for power control, path-loss and shadowing effects. Considering worst case CCI at a corner femtocell, results reveal that interference avoidance through a time-hopped CDMA physical layer and sectorized antennas allows about a 7x higher femtocell density, relative to a split spectrum two-tier network with omnidirectional femtocell antennas. A femtocell exclusion region and a tier selection based handoff policy offers modest improvements in the OCs. These results provide guidelines for the design of robust shared spectrum two-tier networks.

Overcoming interference in spatial multiplexing MIMO cellular networks

Abstract: Multi-antenna transmission and reception (known as MIMO) is widely touted as the key technology for enabling wireless broadband services, whose widespread success will require 10 times higher spectral efficiency than current cellular systems, at 10 times lower cost per bit. Spectrally efficient, inexpensive cellular systems are by definition densely populated and interference-limited. But spatial multiplexing MIMO systems- whose principal merit is a supposed dramatic increase in spectral efficiency- lose much of their effectiveness in high levels of interference. This article overviews several approaches to handling interference in multicell MIMO systems. The discussion is applicable to any multi-antenna cellular network, including 802.16e/WiMAX, 3GPP (HSDPA and 3GPP LTE), and 3GPP2 (lxEVDO). We argue that many of the traditional interference management techniques have limited usefulness (or are even counterproductive) when viewed in concert with MIMO. The problem of interference in MIMO systems is too large in scope to be handled with a single technique: in practice a combination of complementary countermeasures will be needed. We overview emerging system-level interference-reducing strategies based on cooperation, which will be important for overcoming interference in future spatial multiplexing cellular systems.

Performance of Optical OFDM in Ultralong-Haul WDM Lightwave Systems

Abstract: We show, using simulations, that a combination of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and optical single sideband modulation can be used to compensate for chromatic dispersion in ultralong-haul wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems. OFDM provides a high spectral efficiency, does not require a reverse feedback path for compensation, and has a better sensitivity than nonreturn to zero. This paper provides design rules for 800-4000-km optical-OFDM systems. The effects of WDM channel number and spacing, fiber dispersion, and input power per channel on the received Q are studied using extensive numerical simulations. These effects are summarized as a set of design rules

Evaluation of Spectrum Occupancy in Indoor and Outdoor Scenario in the Context of Cognitive Radio

Abstract: Dynamic spectrum access is an integral part of the Cognitive Radio paradigm. However, efficient spectrum sensing techniques are crucial on the way towards systems, which use idle spectrum bands opportunistically and increase the overall spectral efficiency. Current spectrum occupancy was evaluated in few measurement campaigns at different locations mostly located in the USA. In this paper we report about an extensive measurement campaign conducted in Aachen, Germany, comparing indoor-and outdoor measurement results. The highly sensitive measurement system enabled us to measure also man-made or ambient noise. Since an energy detector cannot differentiate such noise from other primary user signals we determine a very high spectrum occupancy in the outdoor scenario in the band from 20 MHz up to 3 GHz. Considerably less occupation was measured in the indoor scenario also because of less ambient noise. Our measurements confirm that the spectrum band 3-6 GHz is rarely occupied. We further provide a case study how the amplitude probability distribution can be used together with detailed regulatory information to infer additional information about the spectral usage. Such information is beneficial in order to optimize the spectrum sensing process and identify candidate bands for further investigation and possible secondary usage.

Power Control in Cognitive Radio Systems Based on Spectrum Sensing Side Information

Abstract: Cognitive radio has been recently proposed as a promising technology to improve the spectrum utilization efficiency by intelligently sensing and accessing some vacant bands of licensed users. In this paper, we consider the coexistence between a cognitive radio and a licensed user in order to enhance the spectrum efficiency. We develop an approach to allow the cognitive radio to operate in the presence of the licensed user. In order to minimize the interference to the licensed user, the transmit power of the cognitive radio is controlled by using the side information of spectrum sensing. Numerical results will show that the quality of service for the licensed user can be guaranteed in the presence of the cognitive radio by the proposed approach.

Network MIMO: Overcoming Intercell Interference in Indoor Wireless Systems

Abstract: Network MIMO is a family of techniques whereby each user in a wireless system is served through all the access points within its range of influence By tightly coordinating the transmission and reception of signals at multiple access points, network MIMO transcends the limits on spectral efficiency due to intercell interference Taking prior information- theoretic analyses of Network MIMO to the next level, this paper quantifies the spectral efficiency gains obtainable under realistic propagation and operational conditions Our study relies on detailed simulations and, for specificity, is conducted within the framework of the IEEE 80216e Mobile WiMAX system All the relevant physical-layer functionalities of Mobile WiMAX are accurately replicated Furthermore, to facilitate the coordination between access points, we postulate an indoor deployment organized around a gigabit-ethernet backhaul The results confirm that Network MIMO stands to provide a multiple-fold increase in spectral efficiency under such conditions

High-Rate Communication for Underwater Acoustic Channels Using Multiple Transmitters and Space–Time Coding: Receiver Structures and Experimental Results

Abstract: In this paper, we consider the use of multiple antennas and space-time coding for high data rate underwater acoustic (UWA) communications. Recent advances in information theory have shown that significant capacity gains can be achieved by using multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems and space-time coding techniques for rich scattering environments. This is especially significant for the UWA channel where the usable bandwidth is severely limited due to frequency-dependent attenuation. In this paper, we propose to use space-time coding and iterative decoding techniques to obtain high data rates and reliability over shallow-water, medium-range UWA channels. In particular, we propose to use space-time trellis codes (STTCs), layered space-time codes (LSTCs) and their combinations along with three low-complexity adaptive equalizer structures at the receiver. We consider multiband transmissions where the available bandwidth is divided into several subbands with guard bands in between them. We describe the theoretical basis of the proposed receivers along with a comprehensive set of experimental results obtained by processing data collected from real UWA communications experiments carried out in the Pacific Ocean. We demonstrate that by using space-time coding at the transmitter and sophisticated iterative processing at the receiver, we can obtain data rates and spectral efficiencies that are not possible with single transmitter systems at similar ranges and depths. In particular, we have demonstrated reliable transmission at a data rate of 48 kb/s in 23 kHz of bandwidth, and 12 kb/s in 3 kHz of bandwidth (a spectral efficiency of 4 bs-1Hz-1) at a 2-km range.

Reducing the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio of OFDM Signals Through Precoding

Abstract: Orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplexing (OFDM) techniques allow the transmission of high data rates over broadband radio channels subject to multipath fading without the need for powerful channel equalization. However, they are very sensitive to nonlinear effects due to the high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) owned by their transmitted signals. This paper proposes an efficient technique for reducing the PAPR of OFDM signals. The proposed technique is data-independent and, thus, does not require new processing and optimization for each transmitted OFDM block. The reduction in PAPR of the OFDM signal is obtained through a proper selection of a precoding scheme that distributes the power of each modulated symbol over the OFDM block. The obtained results show that this precoding scheme is an attractive solution to the PAPR problem of OFDM signals. It is shown, through computer simulations, that the PAPR of precoded OFDM signals approaches that of single-carrier signals. The good improvement in PAPR given by the present technique permits the reduction of the complexity and cost of the transmitter significantly. The precoding schemes also take advantage of the frequency variations of the communication channel and can provide considerable performance gain in fading-multipath channels

MIMO two-way relaying with transmit CSI at the relay

Abstract: Conventional half-duplex relaying schemes suffer from the loss in spectral efficiency due to the two channel uses required for the transmission from the source to the destination. Two-way relaying is an efficient means to reduce this loss in spectral efficiency by bidirectional simultaneous transmission of data between the two nodes. In this paper we study the impact of transmit channel state information at the relay in a MIMO two-way decode-and-forward relaying scheme. We investigate and compare two different re-encoding schemes at the relay. The first is based on superposition coding, whereas the second one is based on the bitwise XOR operation.

Adaptive MIMO Transmission for Exploiting the Capacity of Spatially Correlated Channels

Abstract: We consider a novel low-complexity adaptive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission technique. The approach is based on switching between low-complexity transmission schemes, including statistical beamforming, double space-time transmit diversity, and spatial multiplexing, depending on the changing channel statistics, as a practical means of approaching the spatially correlated MIMO channel capacity. We first derive new ergodic capacity expressions for each MIMO transmission scheme in spatially correlated channels. Based on these results, we demonstrate that adaptive switching between MIMO schemes yields significant capacity gains over fixed transmission schemes. We also derive accurate analytical approximations for the optimal signal-to-noise-ratio switching thresholds, which correspond to the crossing-points of the capacity curves. These thresholds are shown to vary, depending on the spatial correlation, and are used to identify key switching parameters. Finally, we propose a practical switching algorithm that is shown to yield significant spectral efficiency improvements over nonadaptive schemes for typical channel scenarios

Coordinating Base Stations for Greater Uplink Spectral Efficiency in a Cellular Network

Abstract: We propose an ambitious approach towards lifting the limits imposed by cochannel interference on the uplink spectral efficiency of a cellular network, viz., coordinating several base stations in the reception of users within their coverage area, and suppressing interference between users by means of coherent linear beamforming across the base stations. We evaluate by simulation the potential gain in spectral efficiency from such coordination, when there is 1 user per base station antenna in the network, and all users (but for a small fraction in outage) must be served at a constant and common data rate. We highlight the dependence of the spectral efficiency gain on the number of rings of neighbors with which each base station is coordinated, as well as the underlying signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) distribution in the network. Results from this study point to the possibility of doubling the uplink spectral efficiency with 1-ring coordination and nearly quadrupling it with 4-ring coordination, under high-SNR conditions.

Slow Adaptive $M$ -QAM With Diversity in Fast Fading and Shadowing

Abstract: This paper investigates the performance of adaptive M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) with antenna subset diversity. We consider a slow adaptive modulation (SAM) technique that adapts the constellation size to the slow variation of the channel due, for example, to shadowing. The proposed SAM technique is more practical than conventional fast adaptive modulation (FAM) techniques that require adaptation to fast-fading variations. Our results show that the SAM technique can provide a substantial increase in throughput with respect to fixed schemes while maintaining an acceptable low bit-error outage. We also compare SAM and FAM techniques, showing that the throughput of SAM can be, in many practical cases, close to that of FAM, despite the fact that SAM is less complex and requires a lower feedback rate. For example, using a set of possible modulations {4,16,64}-QAM with dual-branch maximal ratio combining reception, 5% outage at a bit-error probability of 10-2 and a median signal-to-noise ratio of 22 dB, SAM is capable of improving the mean spectral efficiency of fixed schemes from about 1.9 to 4.7 b/s/Hz, which is close to the 5.5 b/s/Hz achieved by FAM

Hard Fairness Versus Proportional Fairness in Wireless Communications: The Single-Cell Case

Abstract: We consider a wireless communication system formed by a single cell with one base station and K user terminals. User channels are characterized by frequency-selective fading due to small-scale effects, modeled as a set of M parallel block-fading channels, and a frequency-flat distance-dependent path loss. We compare delay-limited systems with variable-rate systems under fairness constraints, in terms of the achieved system spectral efficiency C (bit/s/Hz) versus Eb /N0. The considered delay-limited systems impose "hard-fairness": every user transmits at its desired rate on all blocks, independently of its fading conditions. The variable-rate system imposes "proportional fairness" via the popular Proportional Fair Scheduling (PFS) algorithm, currently implemented in 3G wireless for data (delay-tolerant) applications. We find simple iterative resource allocation algorithms that converge to the optimal delay-limited throughput for orthogonal (frequency-division multiple access (FDMA)/time-division multiple access (TDMA)) and optimal (superposition/interference cancellation) signaling. In the limit of large K and finite M we find closed-form expressions for C as a function of Eb/N0. We show that in this limit, the optimal allocation policy consists of letting each user transmit on its best subchannel only. Also, we find a simple closed-form expression for the throughput of PFS in a cellular environment, that holds for any K and M. Finally, we obtain closed-form expressions for C versus Eb/N 0 in the low and high spectral efficiency regimes. The conclusions of our analysis in terms of system design guidelines are as follows: a) if hard fairness is a requirement, orthogonal access incurs a large throughput penalty with respect to the optimal (superposition coding) strategy, especially in the regime of high spectral efficiency; b) for high spectral efficiency, PFS does not provide any significant gain and may even perform worse than the optimal delay-limited system, despite the fact that the imposed fairness constraint is laxer; c) for low to moderate spectral efficiency, the stricter hard-fairness constraint incurs in a large throughput penalty with respect to PFS

Uplink Capacity and Interference Avoidance for Two-Tier Cellular Networks

Abstract: Two-tier femtocell networks-comprising a conventional macrocellular network plus embedded femtocell hotspots- offer an economically viable solution to achieving high cellular user capacity and improved coverage. This paper develops an uplink capacity analysis and interference avoidance strategy in such a two-tier CDMA network with universal frequency reuse. We evaluate a network-wide area spectral efficiency metric called the Operating Contour (OC) defined as the combinations of the average macrocell users and femtocell BS per cell-site that meet a target outage constraint. A contribution of this work is an accurate characterization of the uplink outage probability taking cross-tier power control, path-loss and shadowing into account. Considering worst case interference at a corner femtocell, results reveal that interference avoidance through a time-hopped CDMA physical layer and sectorized antennas allows about a 7x higher femtocell BS density, relative to a split spectrum network with omnidirectional femtocell antennas. These results provide guidelines for the design of robust shared spectrum two-tier networks.

Laser communication transmitter and receiver design

Abstract: Free-space laser communication systems have the potential to provide flexible, high-speed connectivity suitable for long-haul intersatellite and deep-space links. For these applications, power-efficient transmitter and receiver designs are essential for cost-effective implementation. State-of-the-art designs can leverage many of the recent advances in optical communication technologies that have led to global wide-band fiber-optic networks with multiple Tbit/s capacities. While spectral efficiency has long been a key design parameter in the telecommunications industry, the many THz of excess channel bandwidth in the optical regime can be used to improve receiver sensitivities where photon efficiency is a design driver. Furthermore, the combination of excess bandwidth and average-power-limited optical transmitters has led to a new paradigm in transmitter and receiver design that can extend optimized performance of a single receiver to accommodate multiple data rates.

A Multigigabit Millimeter-Wave Communication System With Improved Spectral Efficiency

Abstract: This paper describes the details of a new method for improved spectral efficiency in a multigigabit millimeter-wave communication system, and the outdoor and indoor test results of a 6-Gbit/s concept demonstrator in the 81-86-GHz frequency band. Achieved aggregate data with a 2.4-bit/s/Hz spectral efficiency was the fastest wireless transmission published thus far with a carrier-grade bit error rate over a millimeter-wave link.

Initial Performance Evaluation of DFT-Spread OFDM Based SC-FDMA for UTRA LTE Uplink

Abstract: In this paper we present an initial performance evaluation of the 3GPP UTRA long term evolution (UTRA LTE) uplink with baseline settings. The performance results are obtained from a detailed UTRA LTE uplink link level simulator supporting OFDMA and SC-FDMA schemes. The basic transmission scheme for uplink direction is based on single-carrier transmission in the form of DFT spread OFDM with an MMSE receiver. Two antenna configurations, SISO and 1times2 SIMO are considered in the analysis of spectral efficiency in addition to adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) and L1-HARQ. For assessment purposes, the performance results of SC-FDMA are compared with OFDMA. It is shown that 1times2 SIMO greatly increases the spectral efficiency of SC-FDMA making it comparable to OFDMA, especially for high coding rate. Furthermore, SC-FDMA has a flexibility to increase BLER performance by exploiting frequency diversity.

Primary-Prioritized Markov Approach for Dynamic Spectrum Access

Abstract: In order to fully utilize the scarce spectrum resources, with the development of cognitive radio technologies, dynamic spectrum access becomes a promising approach to increase the efficiency of spectrum usage. The spectrum access can be designed in an opportunistic way to efficiently and fairly share the spectrum resources among multiple unlicensed users, while not disturbing primary users' spectrum usage. In this paper, we propose a primary-prioritized Markov approach for dynamic spectrum access through modeling the interactions between the primary users and the unlicensed users as continuous- time Markov chains (CTMC). By designing appropriate access probabilities for the unlicensed users, the spectrum dynamics can be captured using CTMC models to optimally coordinate the spectrum access of the unlicensed users so that a good tradeoff can be achieved between the spectrum efficiency and fairness. The simulation results show that the proposed primary-prioritized dynamic spectrum access approach under proportional fairness criterion not only provides fair spectrum sharing among unlicensed users with only small performance degradation compared to the approach maximizing the overall average throughput, but also achieves much higher throughput than CSMA-based random access approaches and the approach achieving max-min fairness.

Uplink Capacity and Interference Avoidance for Two-Tier Cellular Networks

Abstract: Two-tier femtocell networks-comprising a conventional macrocellular network plus embedded femtocell hotspots- offer an economically viable solution to achieving high cellular user capacity and improved coverage. This paper develops an uplink capacity analysis and interference avoidance strategy in such a two-tier CDMA network with universal frequency reuse. We evaluate a network-wide area spectral efficiency metric called the Operating Contour (OC) defined as the combinations of the average macrocell users and femtocell BS per cell-site that meet a target outage constraint. A contribution of this work is an accurate characterization of the uplink outage probability taking cross-tier power control, path-loss and shadowing into account. Considering worst case interference at a corner femtocell, results reveal that interference avoidance through a time-hopped CDMA physical layer and sectorized antennas allows about a 7x higher femtocell BS density, relative to a split spectrum network with omnidirectional femtocell antennas. These results provide guidelines for the design of robust shared spectrum two-tier networks.

A Turbo FDE Technique for Reduced-CP SC-Based Block Transmission Systems

Abstract: For conventional cyclic-prefix (CP)-assisted block transmission systems, the CP length is selected on the basis of the expected maximum delay spread. With regard to single-carrier (SC)-based block transmission implementations, a full-length CP is recommendable, since it allows good performances through the use of simple frequency-domain equalization (FDE) techniques. In this letter, a soft-decision-directed correction (SDDC)-aided turbo FDE technique is presented for reduced-CP SC-based block transmission systems using conventional frame structures. The relations with some already known iterative FDE techniques are established, and a set of performance results is reported and discussed. The advantages of the proposed approach are emphasized, namely, the possibility of approximately achieving (besides the obvious bandwidth efficiency gain) the maximum power efficiency gain that a strong CP reduction allows

An Introduction to Adaptive QAM Modulation Schemes for Known and Predicted Channels

Abstract: A major disadvantage with fixed modulation (nonadaptive) on channels with varying signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is that the bit-error-rate (BER) probability performance is changing with the channel quality. Most applications require a certain maximum BER and there is normally no reason for providing a smaller BER than required. An adaptive modulation scheme, on the contrary, can be designed to have a BER which is constant for all channel SNRs. The spectral efficiency of the fixed modulation is constant, while it, in general, will increase with increasing channel SNRs for the adaptive scheme. This in effect means that the average spectral efficiency of the adaptive scheme is improved, while at the same time the BER is better suited to the requirement of the application. Thus, the adaptive link becomes much more efficient for data transmission. The major disadvantage is that the transmitter needs to know the channel SNR such that the best suitable modulation is chosen and the receiver must be informed on the used modulation in order to decode the information. This leads to an increased overhead in the system as compared with a fixed modulation system. In this paper, we introduce adaptive modulation systems by presenting some of the simpler adaptive quadrature amplitude modulation schemes and their performance for both perfectly known and predicted channels.

Optimal Power Control for Multi-Hop Software Defined Radio Networks

Abstract: Software defined radio (SDR) is a revolution in radio technology that promises unprecedented flexibility in radio communications and is viewed as an enabling technology for dynamic spectrum access. This paper investigates how to support user communication sessions by jointly considering power control, scheduling, and flow routing for an SDR-based multi-hop wireless network. We develop a formal mathematical model for scheduling feasibility under the influence of power control. This model extends existing protocol interference model for wireless networks and can be used for a broad class of problems where power control (and thus transmission range and interference range) is part of the optimization space. We formulate a cross-layer optimization problem encompassing power control, scheduling, and flow routing. Subsequently, we develop an efficient solution procedure based on branch-and-bound technique and convex hull relaxation. Using simulation results, we demonstrate the efficacy of the solution procedure and offer insights on the impact of power control on scheduling feasibility, bandwidth efficiency, and bandwidth-footprint product (BFP).

Joint Beamforming and Scheduling in Cognitive Radio Networks

Abstract: Cognitive radio has been recently proposed as a promising technology to improve the spectrum utilization. In this paper, we consider the coexistence between a large number of cognitive radio users and a licensed user in order to enhance the spectrum efficiency. With the deployment of M antennas at the cognitive base station, an efficient transmit beamforming technique combined with user selection is proposed to maximize the downlink throughput and satisfy the signal-to-interference- and-noise ratio (SINR) constraint as well as limit interference to the primary user. In the proposed user selection algorithm, cognitive users who are nearly orthogonal to the primary user are first pre-selected so as to minimize the mutual interference. Then, M best cognitive users who are nearly mutual orthogonal to each other are scheduled from those pre-selected cognitive users. Simulation results show that our proposed method is able to achieve high sum-rate throughput, with affordable complexity. Moreover, our proposed technique with equal power allocation suffers a negligible performance loss compared to the one with the optimal power allocation.

Ad Hoc Networks: To Spread or Not to Spread?

Abstract: Spread spectrum communication — often called code-division multiple access — has been widely adopted over the years for many types of interference-challenged wireless communication systems including cellular and cordless telephones, wireless LANs and PANs, military applications, and global positioning systems. In this article we explore whether CDMA, in either its frequency hopping (FH) or direct sequence (DS) form, is an appropriate design approach for wireless ad hoc, or mesh, networks. One goal of this article is to help provoke a debate by explaining the main advantages and disadvantages of CDMA in the context of ad hoc networks as exposed by recent research. We argue that CDMA does not inherently improve the spectral efficiency of ad hoc networks; on the contrary, its valued interference averaging effect is not appreciable in ad hoc networks due to the irregular distribution of both the transmitters and receivers. On the positive side, both types (FH and DS) of spread spectrum allow for longer hop distances and a reversal of the usual relationship where the desired transmitter must be closer to the receiver than interfering transmitters. These two facts allow for significant advantages over narrowband systems in terms of energy efficiency and end-to-end delay.

Robust and Efficient Intercarrier Interference Mitigation for OFDM Systems in Time-Varying Fading Channels

Abstract: Due to its spectral efficiency and robustness over multipath channels, orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) has served as one of the major modulation schemes for high-speed communication systems. In the future, wireless OFDM systems are expected to operate at high carrier frequencies, high speed, and high throughput for mobile reception, where fast time-varying fading channels are encountered. Channel variation destroys the orthogonality among the subcarriers and leads to intercarrier interference (ICI). ICI poses a significant limitation on wireless OFDM systems. The aim of this paper is to find an efficient method of providing reliable communications using OFDM in fast time-varying fading channels. It is observed that ICI power arises from a few adjacent subcarriers. This observation motivates us to design low-complexity -tap ICI equalizers. To employ these equalizers, channel state information is also required. In this paper, we also design a pilot-aided minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel estimation scheme for a time-varying wide-sense stationary uncorrelated scatters channel model. The MMSE channel estimator utilizes the statistical channel properties to achieve computational efficiency. Simulation results show that our proposed low-complexity ICI suppression scheme, which incorporates the -tap equalizer with the MMSE channel estimator, can significantly improve the performance of OFDM systems in fast time-varying fading channels.

Scaling Laws of Cognitive Networks

Abstract: Opportunistic secondary spectrum usage has the potential to dramatically increase spectral efficiency and rates of a network of secondary cognitive users. In this work we consider a cognitive network: n pairs of cognitive transmitter and receiver wish to communicate simultaneously in the presence of a single primary transmitter-receiver link. We assume each cognitive transmitter-receiver pair communicates in a realistic single-hop fashion, as cognitive links are likely to be highly localized in space. We first show that under an outage constraint on the primary link's capacity, provided that the density of the cognitive users is constant, the sum-rate of the n cognitive links scales linearly with n as n ? ?. This scaling is in contrast to the sum-rate scaling of ?n seen in multi-hop ad-hoc networks. We then explore the optimal radius of the primary exclusive region: the region in which no secondary cognitive users may transmit, such that the outage constraint on the primary user is satisfied. We obtain bounds that help the design of this primary exclusive region, outside of which cognitive radios may freely transmit.

Multi-channel Jamming Attacks using Cognitive Radios

Abstract: To improve spectrum efficiency, future wireless devices will use cognitive radios to dynamically access spectrum. While offering great flexibility and software-reconfigurability, unsecured cognitive radios can be easily manipulated to attack legacy and future wireless networks. In this paper, we explore the feasibility and impact of cognitive radio based jamming attacks on 802.11 networks. We show that attackers can utilize cognitive radios' fast channel switching capability to amplify their jamming impact across multiple channels using a single radio. We also examine the impact of hardware channel switching delays and jamming duration on the impact of jamming.