In this paper, we propose a relay selection amplify-and-forward (RS-AF) protocol in general bidirectional relay networks with two sources and N relays. In the proposed scheme, the two sources first simultaneously transmit to all the relays, and then, a single relay with a minimum sum symbol error rate (SER) will be selected to broadcast the received signals back to both sources. To facilitate the selection process, we propose a simple suboptimal min-max criterion for relay selection, where a single relay that minimizes the maximum SER of two source nodes will be selected. Simulation results show that the proposed min-max selection has almost the same performance as the optimal selection with lower complexity. We also present a simple asymptotic SER expression and make a comparison with the conventional all-participate AF relaying scheme. The analytical results are verified through simulations. To improve the system performance, optimal power allocation (OPA) between the sources and the relay is determined based on the asymptotic SER. Simulation results indicate that the proposed RS-AF scheme with OPA yields considerable performance improvement over an equal-power-allocation scheme, particularly with a large number of relay nodes.

Device-to-device communication underlaying cellular networks allows mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to use the licensed spectrum allocated to cellular services for direct peer-to-peer transmission. D2D communication can use either one-hop transmission (i.e. D2D direct communication) or multi-hop clusterbased transmission (i.e. in D2D local area networks). The D2D devices can compete or cooperate with each other to reuse the radio resources in D2D networks. Therefore, resource allocation and access for D2D communication can be treated as games. The theories behind these games provide a variety of mathematical tools to effectively model and analyze the individual or group behaviors of D2D users. In addition, game models can provide distributed solutions to the resource allocation problems for D2D communication. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the applications of game-theoretic models to study the radio resource allocation issues in D2D communication. The article also outlines several key open research directions.

In this paper, we investigate joint relay and jammer selection in two-way cooperative networks, consisting of two sources, a number of intermediate nodes, and one eavesdropper, with the constraints of physical-layer security. Specifically, the proposed algorithms select two or three intermediate nodes to enhance security against the malicious eavesdropper. The first selected node operates in the conventional relay mode and assists the sources to deliver their data to the corresponding destinations using an amplify-and-forward protocol. The second and third nodes are used in different communication phases as jammers in order to create intentional interference upon the malicious eavesdropper. First, we find that in a topology where the intermediate nodes are randomly and sparsely distributed, the proposed schemes with cooperative jamming outperform the conventional nonjamming schemes within a certain transmitted power regime. We also find that, in the scenario where the intermediate nodes gather as a close cluster, the jamming schemes may be less effective than their nonjamming counterparts. Therefore, we introduce a hybrid scheme to switch between jamming and nonjamming modes. Simulation results validate our theoretical analysis and show that the hybrid switching scheme further improves the secrecy rate.

In this paper, we propose a new regular-shaped geometry-based stochastic model (RS-GBSM) for non-isotropic scattering wideband multiple-input multiple-output vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) Ricean fading channels. By correcting the unrealistic assumption widely used in current RS-GBSMs, the proposed model can more practically study the impact of the vehicular traffic density on channel statistics for different time delays. From the proposed model, we derive the Doppler power spectral density (PSD) and find that highly dynamic Doppler spectrum appears for V2V channels. Excellent agreement is achieved between the derived Doppler PSD and measured data, demonstrating the utility of the proposed model. To combat the intercarrier interference (ICI) caused by highly dynamic Doppler spectrum in real orthogonal frequency division multiplexing based V2V systems, this paper proposes a new type of ICI cancellation scheme, named as precoding based cancellation (PBC) scheme. The proposed scheme can be easily implemented into real V2V systems with the same ICI mitigation performance as the current best ICI cancellation scheme that has high complexity. To further improve the performance of the proposed PBC scheme, a new phase rotation aided (PRA) method, namely constant PRA (CPRA) method, is proposed. Compared with the existing PRA method, the CPRA method has better performance and much less implementation complexity. Therefore, the proposed PBC scheme with the CPRA method is the best ICI cancellation scheme for real V2V systems.

In this paper, a novel unified channel model framework is proposed for cooperative multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless channels. The proposed model framework is generic and adaptable to multiple cooperative MIMO scenarios by simply adjusting key model parameters. Based on the proposed model framework and using a typical cooperative MIMO communication environment as an example, we derive a novel geometry-based stochastic model (GBSM) applicable to multiple wireless propagation scenarios. The proposed GBSM is the first cooperative MIMO channel model that has the ability to investigate the impact of the local scattering density (LSD) on channel characteristics. From the derived GBSM, the corresponding multi-link spatial correlation functions are derived and numerically analyzed in detail.

Cooperative spectrum sensing is a promising technique in cognitive radio networks by exploiting multi-user diversity to mitigate channel fading. Cooperative sensing is traditionally employed to improve the sensing accuracy while the sensing efficiency has been largely ignored. However, both sensing accuracy and efficiency have very significant impacts on the overall system performance. In this article, we first identify the fundamental trade-off between sensing accuracy and efficiency in spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks. Then, we present several different cooperation mechanisms, including sequential, full-parallel, semi-parallel, synchronous, and asynchronous cooperative sensing schemes. The proposed cooperation mechanisms and the sensing accuracy-efficiency trade-off in these schemes are elaborated and analyzed with respect to a new performance metric achievable throughput, which simultaneously considers both transmission gain and sensing overhead. Illustrative results indicate that parallel and asynchronous cooperation strategies are able to achieve much higher performance, compared to existing and traditional cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks.

The recent significant progress in realizing FD systems has opened up a promising avenue for improving quality of service and quality of experience in future wireless networks. There is an urgent need to address the diverse set of challenges regarding different aspects of FD network design, theory, and development. In addition to the self-interference cancellation signal processing algorithms, network protocols such as resource management are also essential in the practical design and implementation of FD wireless networks. This article aims to present the latest development and future directions of resource allocation in different full duplex systems by exploring the network resources in different domains, including power, space, frequency, and device dimensions. Four representative application scenarios are considered: FD MIMO networks, FD cooperative networks, FD OFDMA cellular networks, and FD heterogeneous networks. Resource management problems and novel algorithms in these systems are presented, and key open research directions are discussed.

Intercell interference management has become a critical issue for future cellular mobile systems. Coordinated multipoint transmission/reception, or CoMP, is an effective way of managing intercell interference, and has been regarded as a key technology of LTE-Advanced. This article first provides an overview of downlink CoMP techniques specified in 3GPP LTE Rel-11, which mainly focuses on transmission schemes, channel state information reporting, interference measurement, and reference signal design. Then uplink CoMP is discussed in brief as most of the coordination gain can be achieved by implementation with little standardization support. Evaluation results are provided to show the efficiency of CoMP. The challenges as well as possible solutions for future CoMP standardization are also discussed.

With the formidable growth of various booming wireless communication services that require ever increasing data throughputs, the conventional microwave band below 10 GHz, which is currently used by almost all mobile communication systems, is going to reach its saturation point within just a few years. Therefore, the attention of radio system designers has been pushed toward ever higher segments of the frequency spectrum in a quest for increased capacity. In this article we investigate the feasibility, advantages, and challenges of future wireless communications over the E-band frequencies. We start with a brief review of the history of the E-band spectrum and its light licensing policy as well as benefits/challenges. Then we introduce the propagation characteristics of E-band signals, based on which some potential fixed and mobile applications at the E-band are investigated. In particular, we analyze the achievability of a nontrivial multiplexing gain in fixed point-to-point E-band links, and propose an E-band mobile broadband (EMB) system as a candidate for the next generation mobile communication networks. The channelization and frame structure of the EMB system are discussed in detail.

With the rapid growth of demand for ever increasing data rates, spectrum resources have become more and more scarce. As a promising technique to increase the efficiency of the spectrum utilization, cognitive radio has great potential to meet such a requirement by allowing unlicensed users to coexist in licensed bands. In conventional CR systems, spectrum sensing is performed at the beginning of each time slot before data transmission. Unfortunately, this results in two major problems: transmission time reduction due to sensing, and sensing accuracy impairment due to data transmission. To tackle these problems, in this article we present a new design paradigm for future CR by exploring full duplex techniques to achieve simultaneous spectrum sensing and data transmission. With FD radios equipped at secondary users (SUs), the SUs can simultaneously sense and access the vacant spectrum, and thus significantly improve sensing performance while increasing data transmission efficiency. The aim of this article is to transform the promising conceptual framework into a practical wireless network design by addressing a diverse set of challenges such as protocol design and theoretical analysis. Several application scenarios with FD-enabled CR are elaborated, and key open research directions and novel algorithms in these systems are discussed.