An Optimization Perspective of the Superiority of NOMA Compared to Conventional OMA

Abstract

While existing works about non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) have indicated that NOMA can yield a significant performance gain over orthogonal multiple access (OMA) with fixed resource allocation, it is not clear whether such a performance gain will diminish when optimal resource (Time/Frequency/Power) allocation is carried out. In this paper, the performance comparison between NOMA and conventional OMA systems is investigated, from an optimization point of view. Firstly, by using the idea of power splitting, a closed-form expression for the optimum sum rate of NOMA systems is derived. Then, with rigorous mathematical proofs, we reveal the fact that NOMA can always outperform conventional OMA systems, even if both are equipped with the optimal resource allocation policies. Finally, computer simulations are conducted to validate the accuracy of the analytical results.