Optimization and Fundamental Insights in Full-Duplex Cellular Networks

Sammanfattning: The next generations of cellular networks are expected to provide explosive data rate transmissions and very low latencies. To meet such demands, one of the promising wireless transmissions candidates is in-band full-duplex communications, which enable wireless devices to simultaneously transmit and receive on the same frequency channel. Full-duplex communications have the potential to double the spectral efficiency and reduce the transmission delays when compared to current half-duplex systems that either transmit or receive on the same frequency channel. Until recently, full-duplex communications have been hindered by the interference that leaks from the transmitter to its own receiver,the so-called self-interference. However, advances in digital and analog self-interference suppression techniques are making it possible to reduce the self-interference to manageable levels, and thereby make full-duplex a realistic candidate for advanced wireless systems.Although in-band full-duplex promises to double the data rates of existing wireless technologies, its deployment in cellular networks must be gradual due to the large number of legacy devices operating in half-duplex mode. When half-duplex devices are deployed in full-duplex cellular networks, the user-to-user interference may become the performance bottleneck. In such new interference situation, the techniques such as user pairing, frequency channel assignment, power control, beamforming, and antenna splitting become even more important than before, because they are essential to mitigate both the user-to-user interference and the residual self-interference. Moreover, introduction of full- duplex in cellular networks must comply with current multi-antenna systems and, possibly, transmissions in the millimeter-wave bands. In these new scenarios, no comprehensive analysis is available to understand the trade-offs in the performance of full-duplex cellular networks.This thesis investigates the optimization and fundamental insights in the design of spectral efficient and fair mechanisms in full-duplex cellular networks. The novel analysis proposed in this thesis suggests new solutions for maximizing full-duplex performance in the sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave bands. The investigations are based on an optimization theory approach that includes distributed and nonconvex optimization with mixed integer-continuous variables, and novel extensions of Fast-Lipschitz optimization. The analysis sheds lights on fundamental questions such as which antenna architecture should be used and whether full-duplex in the millimeter-wave band is feasible. The results establish fundamental insights in the role of user pairing, frequency assignment, power control and beamforming; reveal the special behaviour between the self-interference and user- to-user interference; analyse the trade-offs between antenna sharing and splitting for uplink/downlink signal separation; and investigate the role of practical beamforming design in full-duplex millimeter-wave systems. This thesis may provide input to future standardization process of full-duplex communications.