Throughput-Optimal Precoding and Rate Allocation for MISO Systems With Noisy Feedback Channels

A throughput metric is considered for a multiple-input single-output (MISO) system with noisy feedback of channel state information (CSI). The goal is to optimize a precoding matrix with a medium-access control layer metric. The problem is a nonlinear multidimensional optimization. Results show that the optimal precoding turns into beamforming when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of CSI feedback is sufficiently large. A necessary condition for the optimality of beamforming under the throughput metric is determined, and the necessary and sufficient condition is numerically found based on the Gauss-Chebyshev Quadrature method. Next, the rate allocation for beamforming and spatial diversity is analyzed. Then, a two-mode transmission scheme is proposed such that the transmitter is engaged in either the beamforming mode or the spatial diversity mode depending on the SNR of the CSI feedback. It is shown that at a fairly high SNR of CSI feedback, the rate allocation needs to be reduced, while at a low SNR of CSI feedback, the allocated rate should be increased. It is shown that when the SNR of CSI feedback is lower than a threshold, there always exists an SNR of the transmitted signal such that the CSI feedback can be viewed as the real CSI solely for the purpose of rate allocation. The result also shows that the throughput of two-mode transmission is almost the same as the throughput of the optimal precoding scheme, even with a low SNR and large feedback delay.