Massive MIMO-NOMA networks with successive sub-array activation

In this paper, we propose a novel successive sub-array activation (SSAA) diversity scheme for a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system in combination with non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). Considering a single-cell multi-cluster downlink scenario, where the base station (BS) sends redundant symbols through multiple transmit sub-arrays to multi-antenna receivers, a low-complexity two-stage beamformer, that is constructed based only on the long-term channel statistical information, is proposed. An in-depth analytical analysis is carried out, in which an exact closed-form expression for the outage probability is derived. A high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) outage approximation is obtained and the system diversity order is determined. The ergodic sum-rate is also investigated, in which a closed-form solution is evaluated considering a particular case. Numerical and simulation results are provided to validate the analytical analysis and to demonstrate the performance superiority of the proposed SSAA scheme. For example, our results show that the proposed system operating with SSAA outperforms conventional full array massive MIMO setups.