Limited feedback schemes for downlink OFDMA based on sub-channel groups

In a downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) system, optimally allocating sub-channels across mobile users can require excessive feedback of channel state information (CSI). We consider an OFDMA model in which the feedback overhead is explicitly taken into account, given a fixed feedback rate and finite coherence time. The tradeoff between feedback rate and sum capacity is studied for two limited feedback schemes: a sequential scheme in which the users send compressed feedback bits over consecutive time slots, and a contention scheme in which users send their feedback via a random access protocol. For both schemes each feedback bit indicates a request for a group containing multiple subchannels. We show that the sum capacity for both schemes with optimized sub-channel groups grows linearly with the number of sub-channels N, and that the associated constant increases as the log of the normalized feedback rate measured in bits per coherence time per sub-channel. We also compare the asymptotic (large N) performance of the two limited feedback schemes as a function of the feedback rate and load (users per sub-channel). The sequential scheme performs best with moderate to large feedback rates, or small loads, whereas the contention scheme performs best with small feedback rates or large loads.