A low-complexity user selection scheme in a multicell MIMO environment

An efficient user selection scheme for the downlink of multiuser MIMO systems is proposed in a multicell environment. In a multicell environment, the intercell interference is one of the most influential factors limiting the performance. Thus, a user selection scheme that considers intercell interference is essential to increase the sum rate. The proposed scheme is based on an interference-aware precoding. It sequentially selects users such that the sum rate is maximized. In particular, we develop a simple incremental metric for the sum rate. The use of the derived metric enables a significant reduction in the computational complexity of the user selection process, as compared to the optimal exhaustive search. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme provides near-optimal performance with substantially reduced complexity.