Distributed vs. Centralized Precoding in Cell-Free Systems: Impact of Realistic Per-AP Power Limits

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Jiang, Wei, Schotten, Hans D.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Jiang, Wei
Schotten, Hans D.
author_facet Jiang, Wei
Schotten, Hans D.
contents In cell-free massive MIMO, centralized precoding is {theoretically known} to {remarkably} outperform its distributed counterparts, albeit {with} high implementation complexity. However, this letter highlights a practical limitation {often overlooked:} {widely used closed-form} centralized {precoders} are typically derived under a sum-power constraint, which often demands unrealistic power allocation that exceeds hardware capabilities. {When two simple heuristics (global power scaling and local normalization) are applied to enforce the per-AP instantaneous power constraint}, the centralized performance superiority disappears, making distributed precoding {a robust option}.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_03948
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Distributed vs. Centralized Precoding in Cell-Free Systems: Impact of Realistic Per-AP Power Limits
Jiang, Wei
Schotten, Hans D.
Information Theory
Signal Processing
In cell-free massive MIMO, centralized precoding is {theoretically known} to {remarkably} outperform its distributed counterparts, albeit {with} high implementation complexity. However, this letter highlights a practical limitation {often overlooked:} {widely used closed-form} centralized {precoders} are typically derived under a sum-power constraint, which often demands unrealistic power allocation that exceeds hardware capabilities. {When two simple heuristics (global power scaling and local normalization) are applied to enforce the per-AP instantaneous power constraint}, the centralized performance superiority disappears, making distributed precoding {a robust option}.
title Distributed vs. Centralized Precoding in Cell-Free Systems: Impact of Realistic Per-AP Power Limits
topic Information Theory
Signal Processing
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.03948