Optimum Spectral and Energy Efficiency Tradeoff in Two-User Gaussian Interference Channel

Abstract

In this letter, we study the optimum tradeoff between the spectral efficiency (SE) and energy efficiency (EE) for the two-user Gaussian interference channel (GIC). The achievable SE–EE tradeoff region of two-user GIC is obtained by studying the interactions between the two links due to their mutual interference. Each point in the SE–EE tradeoff region corresponds to a possible scheduling strategy between the two links. The optimum SE–EE tradeoff is then identified by maximizing the EE for a given sum SE, where the maximum EE is expressed as a closed-form function of the SE. The result analytically quantifies the impact of mutual interference on the SE–EE tradeoff. It is shown that the optimum scheduling strategy depends on the interference coefficients between the two links and the target SE.