Performance analysis of space-time codes over two-way relay channels

In this paper, we explore the advantages of network coding and space-time coding in improving the performance of two-way relay channel communications where two terminals absent of direct link exchange information through a single relay in between. Network coding allows embracing interference from other terminals thereby turning it into a capacity boost. Application of space-time codes yields higher capacity by exploiting spatial diversity. The joint performance of both aforementioned techniques is studied in this paper. Specifically, we propose a new class of decode-and-forward (DF) relaying strategy, evaluated in terms of bit error rate by both theoretical analysis and simulation. Based on our results, DF outperforms the existing amplify-and-decode and partial-decode-and-forward protocols.