Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Model for Radio Map Estimation in Generative Wireless Networks

Abstract: The increasing demand for high-speed and reliable wireless networks has driven advancements in technologies such as millimeter-wave and 5G radios, which requires efficient planning and timely deployment of wireless access points. A critical tool in this process is the radio map, a graphical representation of radio-frequency signal strengths that plays a vital role in optimizing overall network performance. However, existing methods for estimating radio maps face challenges due to the need for extensive real-world data collection or computationally intensive ray-tracing analyses, which is costly and time-consuming. Inspired by the success of generative AI techniques in LLMs and image generation, we explore their potential applications in the realm of wireless networks. In this work, we propose RM-Gen, a novel generative framework leveraging conditional denoising diffusion probabilistic models to synthesize radio maps using minimal and readily collected data. We then introduce an environment-aware method for selecting critical data pieces, enhancing the generative model's applicability and usability. Comprehensive evaluations demonstrate that RM-Gen achieves over 95% accuracy in generating radio maps for networks that operate at 60 GHz and sub-6GHz frequency bands, outperforming the baseline GAN and pix2pix models. This approach offers a cost-effective, adaptable solution for various downstream network optimization tasks.