Offset Encoding for Multiple-Access Relay Channels

An offset encoding technique is presented that improves sliding-window decoding with decode-and-forward for K-user multiple-access relay channels. The technique offsets user transmissions by one block per user and achieves the corner points of the destination's backward decoding rate regions but with a smaller delay. As a result, one achieves boundary points of the best known decode-and-forward rate regions with a smaller delay than with backward decoding.