Improving Multi-Operator Coexistence in Distributed-IRS Assisted Networks

Intelligent reconfigurable surfaces (IRS) are considered one of the key technologies for the transition to 6G networks. It has been shown that, since IRS reflect signals in a wide frequency range, coexistence of multiple operators in IRSassisted networks can become challenging. In order to mitigate the unwanted reflections originating as a result of the IRS deployed by another operator, splitting a centralized IRS to multiple subIRS can be effective. In this work, we extend the single centralized IRS scenario to a distributed IRS case. We show that subIRS assignment to multiple operators yields better performance in terms of the overall sum rate and fairness among operators, compared to the traditional one full IRS per operator case. Our results reveal that the coexistence issues in IRS-assisted networks can possibly be addressed via cooperation among operators.