Diversity pulse shaped transmission in ultra-dense small cell networks

In ultra-dense small cell networks, spatial multiplexing gain is a challenge because of the different propagation conditions. The channels associated with different transmit-receive pairs can be highly correlated due to the: 1) high probability of line-of-sight (LOS) communication between user equipment (UE) and base station (BS) and 2) insufficient spacing between antenna elements at both UE and BS. In this paper, we propose a novel transmission technique titled Diversity Pulse Shaped Transmission (DPST), to enhance the throughput over the correlated multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels in an ultra-dense small cell network. The fundamental of DPST is to shape transmit signals at adjacent antennas with distinct interpolating filters, introducing pulse shaping diversity. In DPST, each antenna transmits its own data stream with a relative deterministic time offset-which must be a fraction of the symbol period-with respect to the adjacent antenna. The delay is interpolated with the pulse shaped signal generating a virtual MIMO channel that benefits from increased diversity from the receiver perspective. To extract the diversity, the receiver must operate in an oversampled domain, and hence, a fractionally spaced equalizer (FSE) is proposed. The joint impact of DPST and FSE helps the receiver to sense a less correlated channel, eventually enhancing the UE's throughput. Moreover, in order to minimize the spatial correlation, we aim to optimize the deterministic fractional delay. Simulation results show that applying DPST to a correlated channel can approximately enhance the UE throughput by 1.93× and 3.76× in 2×2 and 4×4 MIMO systems, respectively.