User clustering in cell-free massive MIMO NOMA system: A learning based and user centric approach

For future wireless communications, Cell-free Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (CF-mMIMO) systems and Non-orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) schemes are considered potential candidates to meet the greater coverage and capacity demands. Nevertheless, a traditional CF-mMIMO system faces scalabili...

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Main Authors: Rabia Arshad, Sobia Baig, Saad Aslam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-03-01
Series:Alexandria Engineering Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016824000863
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author Rabia Arshad
Sobia Baig
Saad Aslam
author_facet Rabia Arshad
Sobia Baig
Saad Aslam
author_sort Rabia Arshad
collection DOAJ
description For future wireless communications, Cell-free Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (CF-mMIMO) systems and Non-orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) schemes are considered potential candidates to meet the greater coverage and capacity demands. Nevertheless, a traditional CF-mMIMO system faces scalability issues and poses numerous challenges in handling the expanding number of user equipment and ensuring their dependable connectivity, particularly in larger geographical areas. To address this challenge, a user-centric (UC) approach is implemented in a CF-mMIMO system, wherein a designated subset of access points (APs) serves a specific number of users from the entire pool of available APs. To implement a NOMA aided CF-mMIMO system, users must be grouped using a suitable clustering scheme to achieve greater spectral efficiency (SE), sum-rate, and reduced bit error rate (BER). For efficient user clustering, unsupervised machine learning (ML) algorithms, such as k-means, k-means++, and improved k-means++ are employed. In this paper, a multiuser NOMA aided CF-mMIMO system with a UC approach is investigated and closed-form expressions for intra-cluster interference and SINR are derived and the performance of the proposed system is analyzed in terms of achievable sum-rate and BER. The proposed system with the UC approach and three ML algorithms namely k-means, k-means++, and improved k-means++ demonstrate 12%, 10%, and 17% higher achievable sum-rate as compared to the NUC approach with same ML algorithms respectively. Similarly, the proposed system with UC and ML approaches exhibits 52%, 55% and 61% improved achievable sum-rate respectively, as compared to far pairing, random pairing, and close pairing schemes. Moreover, the system model is validated through the conformity of the theoretically derived bit error rate with the simulation results for a three-user scenario.
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spelling doaj.art-16512488ce3244d08ddc771ab19d91822024-02-20T04:18:46ZengElsevierAlexandria Engineering Journal1110-01682024-03-0190183196User clustering in cell-free massive MIMO NOMA system: A learning based and user centric approachRabia Arshad0Sobia Baig1Saad Aslam2Department of Computer Science, University of Central Punjab, Avenue 1, Khayaban-e-Jinnah Road, Johar Town, Lahore, 54000, Punjab, PakistanDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Energy Research Center, COMSATS University Islamabad, 1.5 KM Defence Road, off Raiwand Road, LDA Avenue Phase 1, Lahore, 54000, Punjab, PakistanDepartment of Computing and Information Systems, School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia; Corresponding author.For future wireless communications, Cell-free Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (CF-mMIMO) systems and Non-orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) schemes are considered potential candidates to meet the greater coverage and capacity demands. Nevertheless, a traditional CF-mMIMO system faces scalability issues and poses numerous challenges in handling the expanding number of user equipment and ensuring their dependable connectivity, particularly in larger geographical areas. To address this challenge, a user-centric (UC) approach is implemented in a CF-mMIMO system, wherein a designated subset of access points (APs) serves a specific number of users from the entire pool of available APs. To implement a NOMA aided CF-mMIMO system, users must be grouped using a suitable clustering scheme to achieve greater spectral efficiency (SE), sum-rate, and reduced bit error rate (BER). For efficient user clustering, unsupervised machine learning (ML) algorithms, such as k-means, k-means++, and improved k-means++ are employed. In this paper, a multiuser NOMA aided CF-mMIMO system with a UC approach is investigated and closed-form expressions for intra-cluster interference and SINR are derived and the performance of the proposed system is analyzed in terms of achievable sum-rate and BER. The proposed system with the UC approach and three ML algorithms namely k-means, k-means++, and improved k-means++ demonstrate 12%, 10%, and 17% higher achievable sum-rate as compared to the NUC approach with same ML algorithms respectively. Similarly, the proposed system with UC and ML approaches exhibits 52%, 55% and 61% improved achievable sum-rate respectively, as compared to far pairing, random pairing, and close pairing schemes. Moreover, the system model is validated through the conformity of the theoretically derived bit error rate with the simulation results for a three-user scenario.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016824000863Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)Cell-free massive MIMONon-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA)Machine Learning (ML)User Centric (UC)User clustering
spellingShingle Rabia Arshad
Sobia Baig
Saad Aslam
User clustering in cell-free massive MIMO NOMA system: A learning based and user centric approach
Alexandria Engineering Journal
Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)
Cell-free massive MIMO
Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA)
Machine Learning (ML)
User Centric (UC)
User clustering
title User clustering in cell-free massive MIMO NOMA system: A learning based and user centric approach
title_full User clustering in cell-free massive MIMO NOMA system: A learning based and user centric approach
title_fullStr User clustering in cell-free massive MIMO NOMA system: A learning based and user centric approach
title_full_unstemmed User clustering in cell-free massive MIMO NOMA system: A learning based and user centric approach
title_short User clustering in cell-free massive MIMO NOMA system: A learning based and user centric approach
title_sort user clustering in cell free massive mimo noma system a learning based and user centric approach
topic Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)
Cell-free massive MIMO
Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA)
Machine Learning (ML)
User Centric (UC)
User clustering
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016824000863
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