The capacity region of multiple input erasure broadcast channels

Abstract

In this paper, we look at the capacity region of a special class of broadcast channels with multiple inputs at the transmitter and a number of receivers. The channel between an input of the transmitter and a receiver is modelled as an independent memoryless erasure channel. We assume that the signals coming from different inputs to the receiver do not interfere with each other. Also for each input, the transmitter sends the same signal through the channels outgoing from that input. This class of broadcast channels does not necessarily belong to the class of "more capable". We show that the capacity region of these broadcast channels is achieved by time-sharing between the receivers at each input. Finally, the implications of these results to the more general network setup are discussed