A Grant-based Random Access Protocol in Extra-Large Massive MIMO System

Abstract: Extra-large massive multiple-input multiple-output (XL-MIMO) systems is a new concept, where spatial non-stationarities allow activate a high number of user equipments (UEs). This paper focuses on a grant-based random access (RA) approach in the novel XL-MIMO channel scenarios. Modifications in the classical Strongest User Collision Resolution (SUCRe) protocol have been aggregated to explore the visibility regions (VRs) overlapping in XL-MIMO. The proposed grant-based RA protocol takes advantage of this new degree of freedom for improving the number of access attempts and accepted UEs. As a result, the proposed grant-based protocol for XL-MIMO systems is capable of reducing latency in the pilot allocation step.