Eliminating Phase Misalignments in Cell-Free Massive MIMO via Differential Transmission

This letter proposes two approaches for overcoming access points’ phase misalignment effects in the downlink (DL) of cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CF-mMIMO) systems. The first approach is based on the differential space-time block coding technique, while the second one is based on the use of differential modulation schemes. Both approaches are shown to perform exceptionally well and to restore system performance in CF-mMIMO systems where phase alignment at the access points for DL joint coherent transmission cannot be achieved.