CellFree6G

Reduced Complexity Techniques and Performance Analysis towards 6G Cell-Free Massive MIMO

Project Description

Cell-free massive MIMO (CF-MaMIMO) systems are expected to play a fundamental role in next generation wireless systems. In CF-MaMIMO systems, access points (APs) are distributed over a wide area and connected to a centralized processing unit. Theoretical results show a great potential to enhance spectral and power efficiency compared to traditional cellular systems with centralized base stations (BSs). To reap the benefits promised by theoretic analysis, the use of a centralized optimal joint processing is crucial. However, an optimal maximum likelihood detector has an unaffordable complexity for large systems.

The main objectives of the CellFree6G project are to introduce a realistic approach for CF- MaMIMO comprising:

• a solution for pilot contamination, based on joint pilot based channel estimation and data detection,
• low complexity decentralized receivers and channel estimation techniques with performance comparable to centralized techniques,
• large system analysis based on random matrix theory to characterize compactly the resulting performance and evaluate, guide and compare various design options.

Project Funding

The CellFree6G project is part of the French-German collaboration for joint projects in natural, life and engineering (NLE) sciences which is funded by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

Cooperation Partners

Project Members

• Prof. Dr. Dirk Slock (EURECOM)
• Prof. Dr. Laura Cottatellucci (FAU)
• Zilu Zhao, M.Sc. (EURECOM)
• Christian Forsch, M.Sc. (FAU)
• Alexander Karataev (FAU)

Contact Details

• Prof. Dr. Dirk Slock
  • Email: dirk.slock@eurecom.fr
  • Phone: +33 4 93 00 81 06
• Prof. Dr. Laura Cottatellucci
  • Email: laura.cottatellucci@fau.de
  • Phone: +49 9131 85 27116