Multi-Stream Transmission in Cell-Free MIMO Networks with Coherent AP Clustering

Abstract: This letter proposes a multi-stream selection framework for \ac{CF-MIMO} networks. Partially coherent transmission has been considered by clustering \acp{AP} into phase-aligned clusters to address the challenges of phase misalignment and inter-cluster interference. A novel stream selection algorithm is developed to dynamically allocate multiple streams to each multi-antenna \ac{UE}, ensuring that the system optimizes the sum rate while minimizing inter-cluster and inter-stream interference. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method in enhancing spectral efficiency and fairness in distributed \ac{CF-MIMO} networks.