Interference channels with rate-limited feedback

Abstract

We consider the two-user interference channel with rate-limited feedback. Related prior works focus on the case where feedback links have infinite capacity, while no research has been done for the rate-limited feedback problem. Several new challenges arise due to the capacity limitations of the feedback links, both in deriving inner bounds and outer bounds. We study this problem under three different interference models: the El Gamal-Costa deterministic model, the linear deterministic model, and the Gaussian model. For the first two models, we develop an achievable scheme that employs three techniques: Han-Kobayashi message splitting, quantize-and-binning, and decode-and-forward. We also derive new outer bounds for all three models and we show the optimality of our scheme under the linear deterministic model. In the Gaussian case, we propose a transmission strategy that incorporates lattice codes, inspired by the ideas developed in the first two models. For symmetric channel gains, we prove that the gap between the achievable sum rate of the proposed scheme and our new outer bounds is bounded by a constant number of bits, independent of the channel gains.