Abstract: Forward error correction encoding is applied to a first stream of input bits associated with a first data layer to generate a first stream of coded bits. The first steam of coded bits is mapped to K1 binary streams. A first layer-specific set of stream-specific modulators are applied to the K1 binary streams to generate K1 independent complex-valued symbol streams. The symbol streams are transmitted using T1 resource elements out of N1 resource elements. The T1 resource elements are defined by a first layer-specific signature of length N1, where 1?T1<N1. The same process may also be carried out for a second stream of input bits associated with a second data layer using a second layer-specific set of stream-specific modulators and a second layer-specific signature, which may differ from the first layer-specific signature in terms of sparsity pattern and/or sparsity level.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for spreading symbols over multiple time-frequency resources that rely on simple base constellations that can be sent over a frequency tone or time slot. A set of input bits (or an input symbol) are mapped to K symbols, and a symbol-to-resource-element mapping is applied that maps the K symbols to resource units. The mapping to the K symbols may be a linear mapping that maps an input symbol to K target tones through a 2K×2 real matrix, where input symbol is a complex point in a base constellation, and is considered as a 2-dimensional real vector. Up to K co-orthogonal 2K×2 real matrices (whose columns are orthogonal to each other) can be associated with the subset of K target tones. Each of the K co-orthogonal matrices can be used for mapping of an independent symbol from a separate steam of symbols which can be associated to a single UE or separate UEs.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing waveform adaptation are provided. In an example, a method is provided for identifying a plurality of candidate waveforms, and selecting one of the candidate waveforms for data transmission. The candidate waveforms may be identified in accordance with one or more criteria, such as a transmission capability of the transmitting device, a reception capability of the receiving device, a desired Peak-to-Average-Power-Ratio (PAPR) characteristic, adjacent channel interference (ACI) rejection requirements, spectrum localization requirements, and other criteria. The waveform selected for data transmission may be selected in accordance with one or more waveform selection criteria, such as traffic characteristic, application types, etc.

Abstract: Binary forward error correcting (FEC) encoding is applied to a stream of input bits, to generate a stream of coded bits. The coded bits are mapped to multiple binary streams. In some embodiments, at least one coded bit is mapped to more than one of the binary streams and none of the binary streams are identical to each other. Stream-specific modulations are applied to the binary streams. Non-binary FEC encoding could be applied after the stream-specific modulations.

Abstract: A bit-level operation may be implemented prior to modulation and resource element (RE) mapping in order to generate a NoMA transmission using standard (QAM, QPSK, BPSK, etc.) modulators. In this way, the bit-level operation is exploited to achieve the benefits of NoMA (e.g., improved spectral efficiency, reduced overhead, etc.) at significantly less signal processing and hardware implementation complexity. The bit-level operation is specifically designed to produce an output bit-stream that is longer than the input bit-stream, and that includes output bit-values that are computed as a function of the input bit-values such that when the output bit-stream is subjected to modulation (e.g., m-ary QAM, QPSK, BPSK), the resulting symbols emulate a spreading operation that would otherwise have been generated from the input bit-stream, either by a NoMA-specific modulator or by a symbol-domain spreading operation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing waveform adaptation are provided. In an example, a method is provided for identifying a plurality of candidate waveforms, and selecting one of the candidate waveforms for data transmission. The candidate waveforms may be identified in accordance with one or more criteria, such as a transmission capability of the transmitting device, a reception capability of the receiving device, a desired Peak-to-Average-Power-Ratio (PAPR) characteristic, adjacent channel interference (ACI) rejection requirements, spectrum localization requirements, and other criteria. The waveform selected for data transmission may be selected in accordance with one or more waveform selection criteria, such as traffic characteristic, application types, etc.

Abstract: Methods and devices for enhancing the spectral efficiency and/or reliability of uplink transmission without grant are provided. Uplink transmissions without grant are transmitted by UEs or received by base stations in accordance with resource groups that map initial uplink transmissions without grant and non-zero numbers of re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of a grant-free region of a time-frequency resource.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing waveform adaptation are provided. In an example, a method is provided for identifying a plurality of candidate waveforms, and selecting one of the candidate waveforms for data transmission. The candidate waveforms may be identified in accordance with one or more criteria, such as a transmission capability of the transmitting device, a reception capability of the receiving device, a desired Peak-to-Average-Power-Ratio (PAPR) characteristic, adjacent channel interference (ACI) rejection requirements, spectrum localization requirements, and other criteria. The waveform selected for data transmission may be selected in accordance with one or more waveform selection criteria, such as traffic characteristic, application types, etc.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing waveform adaptation are provided. In an example, a method is provided for identifying a plurality of candidate waveforms, and selecting one of the candidate waveforms for data transmission. The candidate waveforms may be identified in accordance with one or more criteria, such as a transmission capability of the transmitting device, a reception capability of the receiving device, a desired Peak-to-Average-Power-Ratio (PAPR) characteristic, adjacent channel interference (ACI) rejection requirements, spectrum localization requirements, and other criteria. The waveform selected for data transmission may be selected in accordance with one or more waveform selection criteria, such as traffic characteristic, application types, etc.

Abstract: A grant-free transmission mode may be used to communicate small traffic transmissions to reduce overhead and latency. The grant-free transmission mode may be used in downlink and uplink data channels of a wireless network. In the downlink channel, a base station transmits packets to a group of UEs in a search space without communicating any transmission code assignments to the UEs. The UEs receive the downlink packets using blind detection. In the uplink channel, UEs transmit packets in an access space using assigned access codes which are either independently derived by the UEs or otherwise communicated by the base station using a slow-signaling channel. Hence, the grant-free transmission mode allows mobile devices to make small traffic transmissions without waiting for uplink grant requests.

Abstract: A grant-free transmission mode may be used to communicate small traffic transmissions to reduce overhead and latency. The grant-free transmission mode may be used in downlink and uplink data channels of a wireless network. In the downlink channel, a base station transmits packets to a group of UEs in a search space without communicating any transmission code assignments to the UEs. The UEs receive the downlink packets using blind detection. In the uplink channel, UEs transmit packets in an access space using assigned access codes which are either independently derived by the UEs or otherwise communicated by the base station using a slow-signaling channel. Hence, the grant-free transmission mode allows mobile devices to make small traffic transmissions without waiting for uplink grant requests.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: Communication resources for grant-free transmission are assigned to a User Equipment (UE) in a communication system. A diversity channel for uplink grant-free data transmission includes uplink grant free transmission resources assigned to the UE. The uplink grant-free transmission resources include one or more positions corresponding to partitions of an access region and one or more positions corresponding to resource elements (REs) in each partition of the access region. At a UE, an uplink initial data transmission and a subsequent transmission are transmitted by the UE in the diversity channel without receiving grant information from a network equipment. At a network equipment, the uplink initial data transmission and the subsequent transmission are received in the diversity channel without transmitting grant information to the UE.

Abstract: There is provided methods and apparatus to improve spectral efficiency in Hybrid Automated Repeat reQuest (HARQ) communications. New data and retransmission data is combined in packets using code domain multiplexing, where data layers carry data and retransmission layers carry retransmission data. This technique is leveraged to introduce Multi-Packet HARQ. The HARQ layers contain Incremental Redundancy (IR) bits to assist in the decoding of a subset of previously undecoded layers. Multiple packets are jointly decoded at the receiver. Using the properties of code multiplexing, and in particular Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA), the correct decoding of a subset of previously undecoded layers assists in the decoding of all previously undecoded layers. HARQ feedback for multiple packets is jointly interpreted by the receiver and the transmitter using state tables. These techniques are further leveraged to allow for Multiple-User SCMA.

Abstract: A method for operating a transmission point in a communications system includes receiving wideband feedback information at a first report rate, and receiving subband feedback information at a second report rate, wherein the first report rate is less than the second report rate. The method also includes performing dynamic rate selection for resource block groups (RBGs) of the communications system in accordance with the wideband feedback information and the subband feedback information.

Abstract: A framework is provided for generating a MA signal based on modulating at least one first stream of bits using a first modulation type to generate at least one first modulated symbol from each of the at least one first stream of bits, spreading each of the at least one first modulated symbols using a spreading sequence that is specific to a respective first stream of bits to generate a second set of modulated symbols, mapping at least one of the second set of modulated symbols using a resource element mapping and transmitting the mapped second sets of modulated symbols as a MA signal. The spreading of each of the at least one first modulated symbols using a spreading sequence that is specific to a respective first stream of bits may use a layer specific spreading sequence and a layer specific sparsity pattern. The mapping of the at least one of the second set of modulated symbols to a resource element may use a user equipment (UE) specific and/or layer specific spreading sequence.