Transformer-Based Nonlinear Transform Coding for Multi-Rate CSI Compression in MIMO-OFDM Systems

We propose a novel approach for channel state information (CSI) compression in multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) systems, where the frequency-domain channel matrix is treated as a high-dimensional complex-valued image. Our method leverages transformer-based nonlinear transform coding (NTC), an advanced deep-learning-driven image compression technique that generates a highly compact binary representation of the CSI. Unlike conventional autoencoder-based CSI compression, NTC optimizes a nonlinear mapping to produce a latent vector while simultaneously estimating its probability distribution for efficient entropy coding. By exploiting the statistical independence of latent vector entries, we integrate a transformer-based deep neural network with a scalar nested-lattice uniform quantization scheme, enabling low-complexity, multi-rate CSI feedback that dynamically adapts to varying feedback channel conditions. The proposed multi-rate CSI compression scheme achieves state-of-the-art rate-distortion performance, outperforming existing techniques with the same number of neural network parameters. Simulation results further demonstrate that our approach provides a superior rate-distortion trade-off, requiring only 6% of the neural network parameters compared to existing methods, making it highly efficient for practical deployment.

Multi-Rate Variable-Length CSI Compression for FDD Massive MIMO

For frequency-division-duplexing (FDD) systems, channel state information (CSI) should be fed back from the user terminal to the base station. This feedback overhead becomes problematic as the number of antennas grows. To alleviate this issue, we propose a flexible CSI compression method using variational autoencoder (VAE) with an entropy bottleneck structure, which can support multi-rate and variable-length operation. Numerical study confirms that the proposed method outperforms the existing CSI compression techniques in terms of normalized mean squared error.