Full-Duplex Radio in mmWave Cellular Networks with Cell Center/Edge Users

Abstract

In this paper, we assess the effect of full-duplex (FD) communications in the context of millimeter-wave (mmWave) cellular networks. The FD radio can potentially double the spectral efficiency but its performance is compromised by the existence of loop- and multi-user interference compared to half-duplex radio. Using stochastic geometry tools, we propose an analytical framework to evaluate the performance of FD-mmWave cellular networks for two location-based user classifications, namely cell-center users (CCUs) and cell-edge users (CEUs). Based on the proposed framework, analytical expressions for the downlink and the uplink coverage performance are derived for each user classification. We evaluate the impact of the FD radio on the performance of CCUs/CEUs and quantify the associated performance gains under different network parameter settings. Our results demonstrate the significant impact of the user's location on the network performance and the beneficial combination of FD radio with mmWaves, which provides significant gains, as it alleviates the effects of multi-user interference.