QoS-Constrained Scheduling in Multi-Cell Multi-User MIMO Networks

In 5G and beyond networks, efficient scheduling is essential to exploit the gains of multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) equipped with carrier aggregation and joint transmission (JT). However, cross-cell and cross-carrier scheduling under QoS constraints is challenging due to the strong coupling across users, base stations, and carriers. In this work, we address this problem in multi-cell MU-MIMO networks to maximize system throughput for both JT and non-JT users under rate constraints. The optimization is highly complex as scheduling variables and beamforming (BF) vectors are intertwined. To tackle it, we propose an approximate but tractable surrogate by leveraging the eigen-based zero-forcing BF and massive MIMO asymptotics. The reformulated problem has a separable structure and is amenable to efficient solutions by a penalty-based block coordinate descent method. Simulations demonstrate that the proposed scheduler not only meets the QoS requirements well but also achieves remarkable throughput gains over existing schemes.

Distributed User Scheduling in Multi-Cell MIMO O-RAN with QoS Constraints

Distributed scheduling is essential for open radio access network (O-RAN) employing advanced physical-layer techniques such as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), carrier aggregation (CA), and joint transmission (JT). This work investigates the multi-component-carrier (multi-CC) resource block group (RBG) scheduling in MU-MIMO O-RAN with both JT and non-JT users. We formulate a scheduling optimization problem to maximize throughput subject to user-specific quality of service (QoS) requirements while ensuring consistent allocations across cooperating O-RAN radio units (O-RUs) required by JT transmission. The strong variable coupling, non-convexity, and combinatorial complexity make the problem highly challenging. To tackle this, we extend the eigen-based zero-forcing transceiver design to JT users and leverage massive MIMO asymptotic properties to derive a tractable, separable rate approximation. Building on this, we develop two solutions: a centralized block coordinate descent benchmark and a distributed scheduler aligned with the O-RAN architecture. The proposed distributed scheme achieves near-centralized performance with only one round of lightweight coordination among cells, significantly reducing complexity and delay. Extensive simulations validate that our distributed scheduler achieves high scalability, fast convergence, and better QoS satisfaction rate in large-scale MU-MIMO networks.

Toward Distributed User Scheduling and Coordinated Beamforming in Multi-Cell mmWave Networks: A Sensing-Assisted Framework

Providing guaranteed quality of service for cell-edge users remains a longstanding challenge in wireless networks. While coordinated interference management was proposed decades ago, its potential has been limited by computational complexity and backhaul resource constraints. Distributed user scheduling and coordinated beamforming (D-USCB) offers a scalable solution but faces practical challenges in acquiring inter-cell channel state information (CSI), as base stations (BSs) are often restricted to signal strength measurements, and high-dimensional CSI exchange incurs substantial overhead. Inspired by integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), this paper proposes a sensing-assisted D-USCB (SD-USCB) framework to maximize the network throughput of multi-cell mmWave networks. Firstly, the framework leverages channel knowledge maps (CKMs) that map user locations to CSI estimates, where user locations are proactively sensed via ISAC echoes. Secondly, we employ a signal-to-average-leakage-plus-interference-plus-noise ratio (SALINR) metric for distributed ISAC beamforming optimization, in which BSs simultaneously communicate with users and sense their locations. These two components jointly enable distributed coordinated transmission with only user location information exchanged among BSs, thereby substantially reducing backhaul overhead. In addition, we devise efficient distributed user scheduling and ISAC beamforming algorithms to jointly optimize communication and sensing performance. Extensive numerical results demonstrate significant improvements in network throughput, validating the efficacy of the proposed framework.

Power Minimization in Pinching-Antenna Systems under Probabilistic LoS Blockage

With great flexibility to adjust antenna positions, pinching antennas (PAs) are promising for alleviating large-scale attenuation in wireless networks. In this work, we investigate the antenna positioning and beamforming (AP-BF) design in a multi-PA multi-user system under probabilistic light-of-sight (LoS) blockage and formulate a power minimization problem subject to per-user signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) constraints. For a single PA, we prove the convexity of the simplified problem and obtain its global optimum. For multiple PAs, we derive closed-form BF structures and develop an efficient first-order algorithm to achieve high-quality local solutions. Extensive numerical results validate the efficacy of our proposed designs and the substantial performance advantage of PA systems compared with conventional fixed-antenna systems in a term of power saving.