RMTransformer: Accurate Radio Map Construction and Coverage Prediction

Radio map, or pathloss map prediction, is a crucial method for wireless network modeling and management. By leveraging deep learning to construct pathloss patterns from geographical maps, an accurate digital replica of the transmission environment could be established with less computational overhead and lower prediction error compared to traditional model-driven techniques. While existing state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods predominantly rely on convolutional architectures, this paper introduces a hybrid transformer-convolution model, termed RMTransformer, to enhance the accuracy of radio map prediction. The proposed model features a multi-scale transformer-based encoder for efficient feature extraction and a convolution-based decoder for precise pixel-level image reconstruction. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme significantly improves prediction accuracy, and over a 30% reduction in root mean square error (RMSE) is achieved compared to typical SOTA approaches.

Joint Detection and Angle Estimation for Multiple Jammers in Beamspace Massive MIMO

In this paper, we study the joint detection and angle estimation problem for beamspace multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with multiple random jamming targets. An iterative low-complexity generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) is proposed by transforming the composite multiple hypothesis test on the projected vector into a series of binary hypothesis tests based on the spatial covariance matrix. In each iteration, the detector implicitly inhibits the mainlobe effects of the previously detected jammers by utilizing the estimated angles and average jamming-to-signal ratios. This enables the detection of a new potential jammer and the identification of its corresponding spatial covariance. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms existing benchmarks by suppressing sidelobes of the detected jammers and interference from irrelevant angles, especially in medium-to-high jamming-to-noise ratio scenarios.

RadioTransformer: Accurate Radio Map Construction and Coverage Prediction

Radio map, or pathloss map prediction, is a crucial method for wireless network modeling and management. By leveraging deep learning to construct pathloss patterns from geographical maps, an accurate digital replica of the transmission environment could be established with less computational overhead and lower prediction error compared to traditional model-driven techniques. While existing state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods predominantly rely on convolutional architectures, this paper introduces a hybrid transformer-convolution model, termed RadioTransformer, to enhance the accuracy of radio map prediction. The proposed model features a multi-scale transformer-based encoder for efficient feature extraction and a convolution-based decoder for precise pixel-level image reconstruction. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme significantly improves prediction accuracy, and over a 30% reduction in root mean square error (RMSE) is achieved compared to typical SOTA approaches.

Learning for Cross-Layer Resource Allocation in MEC-Aided Cell-Free Networks

Cross-layer resource allocation over mobile edge computing (MEC)-aided cell-free networks can sufficiently exploit the transmitting and computing resources to promote the data rate. However, the technical bottlenecks of traditional methods pose significant challenges to cross-layer optimization. In this paper, joint subcarrier allocation and beamforming optimization are investigated for the MEC-aided cell-free network from the perspective of deep learning to maximize the weighted sum rate. Specifically, we convert the underlying problem into a joint multi-task optimization problem and then propose a centralized multi-task self-supervised learning algorithm to solve the problem so as to avoid costly manual labeling. Therein, two novel and general loss functions, i.e., negative fraction linear loss and exponential linear loss whose advantages in robustness and target domain have been proved and discussed, are designed to enable self-supervised learning. Moreover, we further design a MEC-enabled distributed multi-task self-supervised learning (DMTSSL) algorithm, with low complexity and high scalability to address the challenge of dimensional disaster. Finally, we develop the distance-aware transfer learning algorithm based on the DMTSSL algorithm to handle the dynamic scenario with negligible computation cost. Simulation results under $3$rd generation partnership project 38.901 urban-macrocell scenario demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithms over the baseline algorithms.

Overview of AI and Communication for 6G Network: Fundamentals, Challenges, and Future Research Opportunities

With the increasing demand for seamless connectivity and intelligent communication, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and communication for sixth-generation (6G) network is emerging as a revolutionary architecture. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of AI and communication for 6G networks, emphasizing their foundational principles, inherent challenges, and future research opportunities. We commence with a retrospective analysis of AI and the evolution of large-scale AI models, underscoring their pivotal roles in shaping contemporary communication technologies. The discourse then transitions to a detailed exposition of the envisioned integration of AI within 6G networks, delineated across three progressive developmental stages. The initial stage, AI for Network, focuses on employing AI to augment network performance, optimize efficiency, and enhance user service experiences. The subsequent stage, Network for AI, highlights the role of the network in facilitating and buttressing AI operations and presents key enabling technologies, including digital twins for AI and semantic communication. In the final stage, AI as a Service, it is anticipated that future 6G networks will innately provide AI functions as services and support application scenarios like immersive communication and intelligent industrial robots. Specifically, we have defined the quality of AI service, which refers to the measurement framework system of AI services within the network. In addition to these developmental stages, we thoroughly examine the standardization processes pertinent to AI in network contexts, highlighting key milestones and ongoing efforts. Finally, we outline promising future research opportunities that could drive the evolution and refinement of AI and communication for 6G, positioning them as a cornerstone of next-generation communication infrastructure.

Model-driven deep neural network for enhanced direction finding with commodity 5G gNodeB

Pervasive and high-accuracy positioning has become increasingly important as a fundamental enabler for intelligent connected devices in mobile networks. Nevertheless, current wireless networks heavily rely on pure model-driven techniques to achieve positioning functionality, often succumbing to performance deterioration due to hardware impairments in practical scenarios. Here we reformulate the direction finding or angle-of-arrival (AoA) estimation problem as an image recovery task of the spatial spectrum and propose a new model-driven deep neural network (MoD-DNN) framework. The proposed MoD-DNN scheme comprises three modules: a multi-task autoencoder-based beamformer, a coarray spectrum generation module, and a model-driven deep learning-based spatial spectrum reconstruction module. Our technique enables automatic calibration of angular-dependent phase error thereby enhancing the resilience of direction-finding precision against realistic system non-idealities. We validate the proposed scheme both using numerical simulations and field tests. The results show that the proposed MoD-DNN framework enables effective spectrum calibration and accurate AoA estimation. To the best of our knowledge, this study marks the first successful demonstration of hybrid data-and-model-driven direction finding utilizing readily available commodity 5G gNodeB.

5G NR monostatic positioning with array impairments: Data-and-model-driven framework and experiment results

In this article, we present an intelligent framework for 5G new radio (NR) indoor positioning under a monostatic configuration. The primary objective is to estimate both the angle of arrival and time of arrival simultaneously. This requires capturing the pertinent information from both the antenna and subcarrier dimensions of the receive signals. To tackle the challenges posed by the intricacy of the high-dimensional information matrix, coupled with the impact of irregular array errors, we design a deep learning scheme. Recognizing that the phase difference between any two subcarriers and antennas encodes spatial information of the target, we contend that the transformer network is better suited for this problem compared to the convolutional neural network which excels in local feature extraction. To further enhance the network's fitting capability, we integrate the transformer with a model-based multiple-signal-classification (MUSIC) region decision mechanism. Numerical results and field tests demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework in accurately calibrating the irregular angle-dependent array error and improving positioning accuracy.

Fine-grained graph representation learning for heterogeneous mobile networks with attentive fusion and contrastive learning

AI becomes increasingly vital for telecom industry, as the burgeoning complexity of upcoming mobile communication networks places immense pressure on network operators. While there is a growing consensus that intelligent network self-driving holds the key, it heavily relies on expert experience and knowledge extracted from network data. In an effort to facilitate convenient analytics and utilization of wireless big data, we introduce the concept of knowledge graphs into the field of mobile networks, giving rise to what we term as wireless data knowledge graphs (WDKGs). However, the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of communication networks renders manual WDKG construction both prohibitively costly and error-prone, presenting a fundamental challenge. In this context, we propose an unsupervised data-and-model driven graph structure learning (DMGSL) framework, aimed at automating WDKG refinement and updating. Tackling WDKG heterogeneity involves stratifying the network into homogeneous layers and refining it at a finer granularity. Furthermore, to capture WDKG dynamics effectively, we segment the network into static snapshots based on the coherence time and harness the power of recurrent neural networks to incorporate historical information. Extensive experiments conducted on the established WDKG demonstrate the superiority of the DMGSL over the baselines, particularly in terms of node classification accuracy.

Access Point Deployment for Localizing Accuracy and User Rate in Cell-Free Systems

Evolving next-generation mobile networks is designed to provide ubiquitous coverage and networked sensing. With utility of multi-view sensing and multi-node joint transmission, cell-free is a promising technique to realize this prospect. This paper aims to tackle the problem of access point (AP) deployment in cell-free systems to balance the sensing accuracy and user rate. By merging the D-optimality with Euclidean criterion, a novel integrated metric is proposed to be the objective function for both max-sum and max-min problems, which respectively guarantee the overall and lowest performance in multi-user communication and target tracking scenario. To solve the corresponding high dimensional non-convex multi-objective problem, the Soft actor-critic (SAC) is utilized to avoid risk of local optimal result. Numerical results demonstrate that proposed SAC-based APs deployment method achieves $20\%$ of overall performance and $120\%$ of lowest performance.

Jamming Detection and Channel Estimation for Spatially Correlated Beamspace Massive MIMO

In this paper, we investigate the problem of jamming detection and channel estimation during multi-user uplink beam training under random pilot jamming attacks in beamspace massive multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) systems. For jamming detection, we distinguish the signals from the jammer and the user by projecting the observation signals onto the pilot space. By using the multiple projected observation vectors corresponding to the unused pilots, we propose a jamming detection scheme based on the locally most powerful test (LMPT) for systems with general channel conditions. Analytical expressions for the probability of detection and false alarms are derived using the second-order statistics and likelihood functions of the projected observation vectors. For the detected jammer along with users, we propose a two-step minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel estimation using the projected observation vectors. As a part of the channel estimation, we develop schemes to estimate the norm and the phase of the inner-product of the legitimate pilot vector and the random jamming pilot vector, which can be obtained using linear MMSE estimation and a bilinear form of the multiple projected observation vectors. From simulations under different system parameters, we observe that the proposed technique improves the detection probability by 32.22% compared to the baseline at medium channel correlation level, and the channel estimation achieves a mean square error of -15.93dB.