Adaptive Throughput Maximization for Adaptive Modulation and Coding Systems

It is well known that for delay-tolerant data services, adaptive transmission with the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) adjusted according to the instantaneous channel condition can maximize the throughput. In time-varying channels, the performance degradation of adaptive transmission caused by delayed or inaccurate channel condition feedback can be mitigated with the use of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ). With these two techniques jointly implemented, the selection of MCS becomes a complex process highly dependent on channel and system characteristics, and is usually difficult to be optimized analytically. In this paper, we investigate the conditions for throughput-maximizing MCS selection, then propose an algorithm capable of adaptively fulfilling these conditions during transmission