Theoretical fundamentals of random multiple access channels with applications to massive machine-type communications and digital fingerprinting

Grant: Skoltech-MIT Next Generation Program

Grant period: 2017–2019

Project instructors: Y. Polyanskiy (PI, MIT), G. Kabatiansky (PI, Skoltech), A. Frolov (co-PI, Skoltech)

Description: Current wireless networks are designed to serve human users. The main goal of such networks is to increase the spectral efficiency (the transmission rate per 1 Hz) to transmit huge amounts of data, e.g. files or video streams. Next generation of wireless networks is facing a new challenge in the form of machine-type communication: billions of new devices (dozens per person) with dramatically different traffic patterns are expected to go live in the next decade. Indeed, according to Cisco, in 2015 the number of devices involved in network communication has exceeded the world population twofold and continues to grow exponentially. Existing wireless networks are inefficient in this case as to send a message the device should perform a complicated random access procedure, which leads to big delay. This proposal addresses the key challenge – design of theoretical fundamentals and new technology for enabling massive random access. As a byproduct, we shall receive new constructions of multimedia fingerprinting codes used in digital right management.