Rethinking the Role of Interference in Wireless Networks

TL;DR

This paper redefines interference in wireless networks by exploring innovative approaches that treat interference as a resource, enabling energy efficiency, energy harvesting, and security enhancements.

Contribution

It introduces three novel concepts that leverage interference as a useful resource, challenging traditional views and expanding potential applications in wireless communications.

Findings

Interference alignment techniques improve spectral efficiency.

Interference can be used for energy harvesting and green energy.

Interference-based jamming enhances security against eavesdroppers.

Abstract

This article re-examines the fundamental notion of interference in wireless networks by contrasting traditional approaches to new concepts that handle interference in a creative way. Specifically, we discuss the fundamental limits of the interference channel and present the interference alignment technique and its extension of signal alignment techniques. Contrary to this traditional view, which treats interference as a detrimental phenomenon, we introduce three concepts that handle interference as a useful resource. The first concept exploits interference at the modulation level and leads to simple multiuser downlink precoding that provides significant energy savings. The second concept uses radio frequency radiation for energy harvesting and handles interference as a source of green energy. The last concept refers to a secrecy environment and uses interference as an efficient means to jam potential eavesdroppers. These three techniques bring a new vision about interference in wireless networks and motivate a plethora of potential new applications and services.