Joint Random Access and Localization in Cell-Free User-Centric Networks with Frequency-Selective Fading Channels

Abstract: We study random access (RACH) schemes for cell-free (CF) user-centric networks to handle many geographically distributed users with sporadic traffic and intermittent activity. The RACH must allow the system to: 1) detect preambles sent by the (yet unknown) random access users in the RACH slot; 2) localize them for fast allocation of user-centric radio-unit (RU) clusters. Most prior work uses simplified models, neglecting frame-synchronous but chip-asynchronous transmission, possible line-of-sight (LoS) propagation for certain user-RU pairs, and multipath non-line-of-sight (NLoS) propagation yielding frequency-selective channels. Building on our previous work, we consider location-dependent partitioned random access codebooks where users in a geographic area (location) use the corresponding subset of random access preambles. We present a unified framework for joint detection and localization over a spatially consistent network-wide channel model, incorporating these neglected aspects. We evaluate two schemes: 1) a ``legacy'' scheme using Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequences, extending the 3GPP 2-step RACH to the CF case; 2) our multisource approximate message passing (AMP) approach extended to multipath frequency-selective fading. For both schemes, we develop novel approximated GLRT preamble detection and Maximum-Likelihood position estimators with super-resolution refinement, implicitly exploiting received signal strength, angle of arrival, and time-difference of arrival information embedded into LoS components. Numerical results show that the AMP-based scheme achieves superior preamble detection, while both schemes have similar and excellent localization capability.