Low-Complexity Distance-Based Scheduling for Multi-User XL-MIMO Systems

Abstract

[Abstract]: We introduce Distance-Based Scheduling (DBS), a new technique for user selection in downlink multi-user communications with extra-large (XL) antenna arrays. DBS categorizes users according to their equivalent distance to the antenna array. Such categorization effectively accounts for inter-user interference while largely reducing the computational burden. Results show that ( i ) DBS achieves the same performance as the reference zero-forcing beamforming scheme with a lower complexity; ( ii ) a simplified version of DBS achieves a similar performance when realistic spherical-wavefront (SW) propagation features are considered; ( iii ) SW propagation brings additional degrees of freedom, which allows for increasing the number of served users.