Extended link adaptation for cooperative networks

In this paper, we propose an extended link adaptation (ELA) technique to maximize the transmission rate of cooperative networks. Unlike the average link adaptation, the ELA not only adapts the modulation and coding levels but also switches among various transmission schemes according to the channel conditions. Quality of service (QoS) consideration is integrated in the design of the ELA. Outage probability optimization based optimal power allocation is investigated to further improve the performance. Simulation results show that with the ELA, the two merits of cooperation, improved transmission rate and increased coverage, can be further effectively enhanced. Furthermore, the optimal switching point of various transmission schemes is also found to achieve the maximal transmission rate.