Covert Communication in the D2D-Enabled Cellular Network with Multiple Non-Colluding Wardens

This work investigates the covert communication in a D2D (device-to-device)-enabled cellular network, where a cellular user CT wants to transmit a message covertly to another cellular user CR through a base station BS without being detected by multiple non-colluding wardens with the help of an underlaying D2D pair. Although D2D communication can confuse wardens, it can also interfere with the covert communication of the cellular link. To fully understand the impact of D2D communication on the covert communication of the cellular link, we first explore the average minimum detection error probability of non-colluding wardens. Then, the average covert rate of the cellular link is studied. Eventually, expansive numerical and simulation results are presented to demonstrate the correctness of our theoretical analysis and also to illustrate the impact of D2D communication on the covert communication of the cellular link.