NeTS: Small: Collaborative Research: LAWN: Scaling Up Cellular Data Networks using a Large Number of Antennas

移动的数据的指数增长是对蜂窝网络运营商的主要挑战。该项目超越了传统的容量提高方法，如增加更多的小区和获取更多的频谱，旨在从根本上提高蜂窝数据网络的频谱效率。该项目研究LAWN（大量基于天线的无线网络），一个全新的蜂窝网络架构，其中大量的天线同时服务于相对较少数量的无线终端使用多用户波束成形。该项目有两个相互关联的目标。第一个研究了一种新的LAWN基站设计和原型，可以经济有效地扩展到数百个天线，并利用物理层的计算复杂性和网络容量之间的权衡。第二个重点研究由此产生的新网络架构，该架构能够有效地调度终端，智能地分配传输功率，并协调导频信号传输以减轻小区间干扰。该项目的目标是将蜂窝网络的频谱和功率效率提高许多倍，不仅导致快速的无线数据网络，而且延长移动的终端的电池寿命。该项目的结果可能为新的理论发展提供新的见解，使大规模多用户波束成形更接近蜂窝数据网络的实际部署。除了学术出版物，该项目将产生一个开放的平台，包括硬件，软件和在线文档，用于教学和研究基站设计。它将积极吸引本科生以及来自代表性不足人口的学生。

The exponential growth of mobile data is a major challenge to the operators of cellular networks. Looking beyond conventional capacity-improving approaches such as adding more cells and acquiring more spectrum, this project seeks to fundamentally improve the spectral efficiency of cellular data networks. The project investigates LAWN (Large number of Antenna based Wireless Networking), a radically new cellular network architecture, in which a large number of antennas simultaneously serve a relatively much smaller number of wireless terminals using multiuser beamforming. The project has two inter-related thrusts. The first investigates a novel LAWN base station design and prototype that can cost-effectively scale to hundreds of antennas and exploit physical-layer tradeoffs between computational complexity and network capacity. The second thrust studies the resulting new network architecture that efficiently schedules terminals, intelligently allocates transmission power, and coordinates pilot signal transmissions to mitigate inter-cell interference.The project targets improving the spectral and power efficiency of cellular networks by many fold, leading to not only fast wireless data networks but also longer battery lifetime of mobile terminals. Results from the project are likely to provide fresh insights for new theoretical development, bringing large-scale multi-user beamforming one significant leap closer to practical deployment in cellular data networks. In addition to academic publications, the project will produce an open platform, including hardware, software, and documentation available on-line, for teaching and researching base station design. It will actively involve undergraduate students as well as students from under-represented populations.