Clustering and Scheduling With Fairness Based on Information Rates for Cell-Free MIMO Networks

In this letter, we propose a clustering technique based on information rates for cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) networks. Unlike existing clustering approaches that rely on the large scale fading coefficients of the channels and user-centric techniques, we develop an approach that is based on the information rates of cell-free massive MIMO networks. We also devise a resource allocation technique to incorporate the proposed clustering and schedule users with fairness. An analysis of the proposed clustering approach based on information rates is carried out along with an assessment of its benefits for scheduling. Numerical results show that the proposed techniques outperform existing approaches.