EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications

Chapter # 4 : Capacity of Wireless Channels

Spring, 2012/2013

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 1 / 18

 Outline

1 Capacity in AWGN

2 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels

3 Capacity of Frequency-Selective Fading Channels

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 2 / 18

 Capacity in AWGN ... 1
System Capacity:
The maximum data rates that can be transmitted over wireless channels
with asymptotically small error probability, assuming no constraints on
delay or complexity of the encoder and decoder.
Consider a discrete-time additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN)
channel with channel input/output relationship y [i] = x[i] + n[i].
x[i] is the channel input at time i.
y [i] is the corresponding channel output.
n[i] is a white Gaussian noise random process.
The capacity of this channel is given by Shannon’s well-known
formula
C = B log2 (1 + γ) bits/second (bps)
B is the channel bandwidth.
γ is the channel SNR, the ratio between the transmitted power P and
the power of the noise, i.e. γ = P/(N0 B) where N0 is the power
spectral density of the noise.
EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 3 / 18
 Capacity in AWGN ... 2

Shannon’s coding theorem proves that a code exists that achieves

data rates arbitrarily close to capacity with arbitrarily small
probability of bit error.
The converse theorem shows that any code with rate R > C has a
probability of error bounded away from zero.
Shannon capacity is generally used as an upper bound on the data
rates that can be achieved under real system constraints.
On AWGN radio channels, turbo codes have come within a fraction
of a dB of the Shannon capacity limit.

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 4 / 18

 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Channel and System Model ... 1

Assume a discrete-time channel with stationary and ergodic (its

statistical properties (such as its mean and variance) can be deduced
from a single, sufficiently long sample (realization) of the process)
√
time-varying gain gi and AWGN n[i].
The channel power gain g [i] follows a given distribution p(g ), e.g.
for Rayleigh fading p(g ) is exponential.
In a block fading channel, g [i] is constant over some blocklength
T after which time g[i] changes to a new independent value based
on the distribution p(g ).
Let P̄ denote the average transmit signal power, N0 /2 denote the
noise power spectral density of n[i], and B denote the received
signal bandwidth.
P̄g [i]
The instantaneous received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR): γ[i] = N0 B .
The distribution of g [i] determines the distribution of γ[i] and vice
versa.
EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 5 / 18
 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Channel and System Model ... 2

The channel gain g [i], also called the channel side information (CSI).
The capacity of this channel depends on what is known about g [i]
at the transmitter and receiver.
Channel Distribution Information (CDI): The distribution of g [i]
is known to the transmitter and receiver.
Receiver CSI: The value of g [i] is known at the receiver at time i,
and both the transmitter and receiver know the distribution of g [i].
Transmitter and Receiver CSI: The value of g [i] is known at the
transmitter and receiver at time i, and both the transmitter and
receiver know the distribution of g [i].

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 6 / 18

 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Channel Side Information at Receiver ... 1

Consider the case where the CSI g [i] is known at the receiver at
time i ⇒ γ[i] is known at the receiver at time i.
Also assume that both the transmitter and receiver know the
distribution of g [i].
In this case there are two channel capacity definitions that are
relevant to system design: Shannon capacity, also called ergodic
capacity, and capacity with outage.
Capacity with outage is defined as the maximum rate that can be
transmitted over a channel with some outage probability
corresponding to the probability that the transmission cannot be
decoded with negligible error probability.
The probability of outage characterizes the probability of data loss
or, equivalently, of deep fading.

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 7 / 18

 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Channel Side Information at Receiver/Shannon (Ergodic) Capacity ... 1

Shannon capacity is equal to Shannon capacity for an AWGN

channel with SNR γ, given by Blog 2(1 + γ), averaged over the
distribution of γ (probabilistic average).
Since the
R ∞probabilistic average E [x] is given by
E [x] = −∞ xp(x)dx, hence,
R∞
C = 0 B log2 (1 + γ)p(γ)dγ
By Jensens inequality E (ϕ(x)) ≤ ϕ(E (x)), Hence,
E (B log2 (1 + γ)) ≤ B log2 (1 + E (γ)) = B log2 (1 + γ̄)
where γ̄ is the average SNR on the channel.
The Shannon capacity of a fading channel with receiver CSI only is
less than the Shannon capacity of an AWGN channel with the same
average SNR.
Fading reduces Shannon capacity when only the receiver has CSI.

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 8 / 18

 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Channel Side Information at Receiver/Shannon (Ergodic) Capacity ... 2

Ex. 4.2: Consider a flat-fading channel with i.i.d. channel gain g [i] which can
take on three possible values: g1 = .05 with probability p1 = .1, g2 = .5 with
probability p2 = .5, and g3 = 1 with probability p3 = .4. The transmit power is
10 mW, the noise spectral density is N0 = 10−9 W/Hz, and the channel
bandwidth is 30 kHz. Assume the receiver has knowledge of the instantaneous
value of g [i] but the transmitter does not. Find the Shannon capacity of this
channel and compare with the capacity of an AWGN channel with the same
average SNR.
The channel has 3 possible received SNRs
γ1 = Pt g1 /(N0 B) = (0.01 × (0.05)2 )/(30000 × 10−9 ) = 0.8333
By the same way: γ2 = 83.333 and γ3 = 333.33
The Shannon capacity is given by
C = 3i=1 B log2 (1 + γi )p(γi ) = 199.26 Kbps
P
The average SNR for this channel is
γ = .1(.8333) + .5(83.33) + .4(333.33) = 175.08
The capacity of an AWGN channel with this SNR is
C = B log2 (1 + 175.08) = 223.8 Kbps
EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 9 / 18
 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Channel Side Information at Receiver/Capacity with Outage
Capacity with outage allows bits sent over a given transmission
burst to be decoded at the end of the burst with some probability
that these bits will be decoded incorrectly.
The transmitter fixes a minimum received SNR γmin and encodes for
a data rate C = B log2 (1 + γmin ).
The data is correctly received if the instantaneous received SNR is
greater than or equal to γmin .
If the received SNR is below γmin then the bits received over that
transmission burst cannot be decoded correctly with probability
approaching one, and the receiver declares an outage.
The probability of outage is thus pout = p(γ < γmin ).
The average rate correctly received over many transmission bursts is
Co = (1 − pout )B log2 (1 + γmin ) since data is only correctly received
on 1 − pout transmissions.
The value of γmin is a design parameter based on the acceptable
outage probability.
EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 10 / 18
 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Channel Side Information at Transmitter and Receiver

When both the transmitter and receiver have CSI, the transmitter
can adapt its transmission strategy relative to this CSI.
Since the transmitter knows the channel and thus will not send bits
unless they can be decoded correctly.

The transmitter side information does not increase capacity unless

power is also adapted.
The maximizing power adaptation policy under the average power
constraint is a ”water-filling”. WHAT!!
EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 11 / 18
 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Channel Side Information at Transmitter and Receiver ... 2
Zero-Outage Capacity and Channel Inversion
The transmitter can use the CSI to maintain a constant received
power, i.e. it inverts the channel fading.
The channel then appears to the encoder and decoder as a
time-invariant AWGN channel.
This power adaptation is called channel inversion.
Fading channel capacity with channel inversion is just the capacity
of an AWGN channel with constant SNR σ
C = B log2 [1 + σ]
What is the advantage and disadvantage of this scheme?.
The channel capacity of this scheme is called zero-outage
capacity, since the data rate is fixed under all channel conditions
and there is no channel outage.
Truncated channel inversion: can be achieved by suspending
transmission in particularly bad fading states.
EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 12 / 18
 Capacity of Flat-Fading Channels
Capacity Comparisons

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 13 / 18

 Capacity of Frequency-Selective Fading Channels
Time-Invariant Channels ... 1

Consider a time-invariant channel with frequency response H(f ) and

assume a total transmit power constraint P.
Assume that H(f ) is block-fading, so that frequency is divided into
subchannels of bandwidth B, where H(f ) = Hj is constant over
each block.
The frequency-selective fading channel thus consists of a set of
AWGN channels in parallel with SNR |Hj|2 Pj /(N0 B) on the j th
channel, where Pj is the power allocated to the j th channel.

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 14 / 18

 Capacity of Frequency-Selective Fading Channels
Time-Invariant Channels ... 2

The capacity of this parallel set of channels is the sum of rates

associated with each channel with power optimally allocated over all
channels
|Hi |2 Pj
P  
C= P
B log 2 1 + N0 B
max Pj : j Pj <P

The optimal power allocation is found via the same Lagrangian

technique used in the flat-fading case, which leads to the
water-filling power allocation.
h i+
N0 B
Pj = λ − |H 2
i|
h P 0 N0 B i
λ = K10 PT + K j=1 |H |2 i

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 15 / 18

 Capacity of Frequency-Selective Fading Channels
Time-Invariant Channels ... 3

Ex. 4.7: Consider a time-invariant frequency-selective block fading channel

consisting of three subchannels of bandwidth B = 1 MHz. The frequency
response associated with each channel is H1 = 1, H2 = 2 and H3 = 3. The
transmit power constraint is P = 10 mW and the noise PSD is N0 = 10−9
W/Hz. Find the Shannon capacity of this channel and the optimal power
allocation that achieves this capacity.
Assumeh that all the channeliare working,
−3
λ = 13 0.01 + 3j=1 1×10
P
|H |2
= 0.0037867
i

P1 = [0.003787 − 1 × 10−3 ] = 2.787 mW, P2 = 3.538 mW, and

P3 = 3.675 mW
C = 10−6 [log2 (1 + 2.786) + log2 (1 + 3.536 × 4) + log2 (1 + 2.786 × 9)]
C = 10.93 Mbps
Homework: Repeat the Ex. with P = 4 W, |Hj | = {1.64, 2.02, 1.22, 0.3},
B = 1 MHz and N0 = 0.4 × 10−6 and check your answer by a computer
simulation
EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 16 / 18
 Capacity of Frequency-Selective Fading Channels
Time-Varying Channels

It is difficult to determine the capacity of time-varying

frequency-selective fading channels, even when the instantaneous
channel H(f , i) is known perfectly at the transmitter and receiver.
We can approximate channel capacity in time-varying
frequency-selective fading by taking the channel bandwidth B of
interest and divide it up into subchannels the size of the channel
coherence bandwidth Bc . Then, the waterfilling is the optimal
solution.

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 17 / 18

 Homework

The homework assignment will be available tomorrow’s night on the

course webpage. The homework is due in one week.

EELE 6333: Wireless Commuications - Ch.4 Dr. Musbah Shaat 18 / 18