Optimal IRS deployment/association for multi-cell networks with multiple IRSs

Determine the optimal deployment and association strategy for multiple intelligent reflecting surfaces (IRSs) serving multiple cells in a multi-cell wireless network, specifying how IRSs should be placed and assigned to cells to optimize network objectives such as capacity or spectral efficiency under inter-cell interference and propagation constraints.

Background

The deployment of IRSs fundamentally affects channel realizations and interference patterns. Prior work provides insights for simple cases (e.g., a single IRS aiding two neighboring cells), but does not generalize to scenarios with multiple IRSs and multiple cells.

A general solution must account for IRS placement, cell-edge conditions, user distributions, and inter-cell interference, but the optimal strategy remains unknown when several IRSs can cooperatively serve multiple cells.

References

However, if multiple IRSs are available for serving multiple cells, it is still unknown of the optimal IRS deployment/association strategy in general.

— Intelligent Reflecting Surface Aided Wireless Communications: A Tutorial (2007.02759 - Wu et al., 2020) in Section V-C (Other Related Work and Future Direction)