Uplink Performance of NOMA-Based Combined HTC and MTC in Ultradense Networks

Abstract

In this article, we study the uplink coverage and the uplink network throughput of an ultradense network (UDN) where human-type communication (HTC) users and machine-type communication (MTC) devices coexist. We employ non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) radio access to address the massive connectivity requirements of MTC while satisfying the high data rate requirements of HTC. To this end, stochastic geometry is utilized to model the network exploiting the inherent randomness of the proposed scenario. The enormous number of small cells in UDN along with NOMA can provide a common ground to satisfy the diverse requirements of both MTC and HTC. The distinguishing features of both UDNs and MTC are considered in modeling the network where stretched exponential path-loss (SEPL) is used to capture short-link distances. Moreover, the truncated channel inversion power control is employed in both HTC users (HTCUs) and MTC devices (MTCDs) to mitigate the uplink intercell interference. The results show the significant impact of various system parameters on the network performance. Closed-form and easy-computable expressions are derived for the considered performance metrics, and are assessed by Monte Carlo simulations.