IEEE JSTSP Special Issue on Distributed Signal Processing for Extremely Large-Scale Antenna Array Systems

Manuscript Due: 22 August 2024
Publication Date: March 2025

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques are crucial for enhancing the spectral efficiency, energy efficiency, and coverage of wireless communication systems. The advent of extremely large-scale antenna array (ELAA) systems, achieved by increasing the number of antennas at a transmitter or through coordinated joint transmission by multiple transmitters (e.g., cell-free MIMO), holds great promise for enabling the capabilities of next-generation wireless communication. To fully exploit the potential of ELAA systems, most existing transceiver signal processing (SP) algorithms are designed for centralized implementation relying on a centralized baseband processing (CBP) architecture. However, as the number of antennas increases, such centralized architecture encounters bottlenecks in terms of high interconnection cost and computational complexity. To address these challenges, decentralized baseband processing (DBP) has emerged as a promising technique. In the single-cell scenario, the base station (BS) antennas are divided into several antenna clusters, and each cluster is processed by an independent and more affordable baseband processing unit (BBU). In the multi-cell or cell-free scenario, each distributed BBU can be a BS or an access point. Compared to the CBP architecture, the DBP architecture has improved scalability and robustness, and each BBU processes low-dimension data only. However, interconnection communication costs and computational complexity are still the major bottlenecks. Besides, time synchronization and phase calibration are also crucial for efficient coherent processing in such systems. Therefore, to make the ELAA system practical, it is urgent to develop efficient distributed SP methods under the DBP architecture. This special issue aims to inspire and unite researchers to contribute their latest advancements in distributed SP algorithm designs for ELAA systems with DBP architectures. 

Topics: Topics of interest encompass, but are not limited to:

  • Distributed channel estimation algorithms and pilot designs
  • Distributed data detection and equalization techniques
  • Distributed transmit beamforming/precoding optimization
  • Distributed source/channel coding and signal compression techniques
  • Distributed algorithms for scheduling, power control, and resource allocation
  • Fundamental performance limits of DBP architectures
  • Over-the-air time synchronization and phase calibration of distributed antenna systems
  • Machine learning-based distributed SP methods
  • Novel DBP architectures for ELAA systems
  • Distributed SP designs under hardware impairments
  • Distributed near-field communication/localization in ELAA systems
  • Distributed integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) in ELAA systems 
  • Integration of smart and network-controlled repeaters in ELAA systems
  • Distributed SP designs for ELAA systems with backscattering or reflecting devices

Prospective authors should submit their manuscripts following the IEEE JSTSP guidelines. Authors should submit a PDF version of their complete manuscript to the system according to the following schedule:

Important Dates

  • Manuscript submission: 22 August 2024 (Extended)
  • First review completed: 15 October 2024
  • Revised manuscript due: 15 November 2024
  • Second review completed: 15 December 2024
  • Final decision: 31 December 2024
  • Publication date: March 2025

Guest Editors

​For further information, please contact the guest editors at: 

 

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JSTSP Special Issue
JSTSP Call for Papers