Cloud-Based Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems: Uplink Error Probability Analysis and Near-Optimal Detector Design

Abstract

Cloud-based cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CFmMIMO) technology, which exploits a large number of distributed antennas to cooperatively serve multiple users, constitutes an appealing technique for B5G/6G wireless communications. However, the distributed nature of cloud-based CFmMIMO imposes great challenges in analyzing the error probability bounds, and very few efforts have so far been paid to optimize the detector design. In this paper, we try to add a stroke to this blank by analyzing the symbol error rate (SER) and design near-optimal detection algorithms. Specifically, considering non-identical large-scale coefficients and channel estimation errors, we first leverage the pairwise error probability to derive an asymptotic SER bound for uplink cloud-based CFmMIMO systems, which is verified by simulation results. Furthermore, motivated by the concepts of successive interference cancellation (SIC) and error correction mechanism (ECM), we design two distinct types of near-optimal detectors for cloud-based CFmMIMO systems and analyze their complexity and convergence performance. Finally, extensive simulation results show that our proposed SIC and ECM based detectors outperform conventional matched filtering (MF) and minimum mean squred error (MMSE) counterparts. In particular, the MMSE-SIC and MMSE-ECM detectors approach the derived asymptotic bound, and the MF-ECM detector strikes a balance between the SER and complexity in ultra CFmMIMO scenarios.