Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems With Low Resolution ADCs

Abstract

This paper investigates the achievable performance of cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with low resolution analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) at both the access points (APs) and users. A closed-form expression for the achievable rate is derived, which enables the study of the effects of AP number, antenna number per AP, user number, and ADC resolution on the achievable rate. In addition, a simple asymptotic approximation for the individual user rate is presented, which shows that the user rate is mainly constrained by the ADC resolution at the user. Moreover, we propose an ADC resolution bits allocation scheme aiming at maximizing the sum rate subject to the total ADC resolution bits constraint, which substantially outperforms the equal ADC resolution bits allocation scheme. Furthermore, a max–min power control scheme is proposed, which not only ensures user fairness, but also improves the achievable rate. Finally, simulation results are provided to corroborate the analytical results.