Proportional fair scheduling for multi-cell multi-user MIMO systems

In this paper, a multi-cell multi-user MIMO scheme with advanced user pairing and scheduling algorithm is proposed to effectively explore multi-user diversity and to combat both intra-cell and inter-cell interference in the downlink of wireless communication systems. The optimality of the proposed user paring and scheduling algorithm is shown under generalized proportional fair metrics. System-level simulations are conducted to verify the performance of the proposed scheme with the agreed LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system parameters. The results suggest the proposed scheme is a promising candidate for improving both the cell-edge user throughput and average cell throughput, and furthermore for fulfilling the IMT-Advanced (IMT-A) requirements.