On the Mobile Wireless Access Via MIMO Relays

While a network with stationary nodes can provide large capacity in many current wireless systems, a network with mobile users suffers from severe performance degradation. This happens due to quick channel variation and its resulting protocol overheads that are especially large for multiuser Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems. This paper proposes a relay-assisted multiuser MIMO downlink system to support highly mobile wireless access. Through a theoretical throughput analysis that explicitly considers the protocol overheads, the paper shows that the MIMO relay significantly enhances the sum throughput of the system.