Low-Complexity Downlink User Selection for Massive MIMO Systems

In this paper, we propose a pair of low-complexity user selection schemes with zero-forcing precoding for multi-user massive multiple-input-multiple-output downlink systems, in which the base station is equipped with a large-scale antenna array. First, we derive approximations of the ergodic sum rates of the systems invoking the conventional random user selection (RUS) and the location-dependent user selection (LUS). Then, the optimal number of simultaneously served user equipments (UEs), i.e., K*, is investigated to maximize the sum rate approximations. Upon exploiting K*, we develop two user selection schemes, namely, K*-RUS and K*-LUS, where K* UEs are selected either randomly or based on their locations. Both the proposed schemes are independent of the instantaneous channel state information of small-scale fading, therefore enjoying the same extremely low computational complexity as that of the conventional RUS scheme. Moreover, both of our proposed schemes achieve significant sum rate improvement over the conventional RUS. In addition, it is worth noting that, like the conventional RUS, the K*-RUS achieves good fairness among UEs.