Harmony Search-Based Quantization Bit Allocation on Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems

In this paper, we propose a novel harmony search (HS)-based algorithm for optimizing bit allocation in cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CF-mMIMO) systems, addressing the challenge of quantization errors due to fronthaul capacity limitations. By employing the quantizer, we analyze the impact of bit allocation on quantization noise and formulate an optimization problem focused on sum-rate maximization. Our algorithm, designed to tackle a non-convex combinatorial problem, dynamically updates bit configurations using exploration and exploitation strategies. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm significantly improves sum-rate over uniform bit allocation while reducing computational complexity.