V-BLAST: An Architecture for Realizing Very High Data Rates
Over the Rich-Scattering Wireless Channel
P. W. Wolniansky, G. J. Foschini, G. D. Golden, R. A. Valenzuela
Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Crawford Hill Laboratory
791 Holmdel-Keyport Rd., Holmdel, NJ 07733
ABSTRACT
Recent information theory research has shown that the
rich-scattering wireless channel is capable of
enormous theoretical capacities if the multipath is
properly exploited. In this paper, we describe a
wireless communication architecture known as
vertical BLAST (Bell Laboratories Layered Space-
Time) or V-BLAST, which has been implemented in
realtime in the laboratory. Using our laboratory
prototype, we have demonstrated spectral efficiencies
of 20 - 40 bps/Hz in an indoor propagation
environment at realistic SNRs and error rates. To the
best of our knowledge, wireless spectral efficiencies of
this magnitude are unprecedented, and are
furthermore unattainable using traditional techniques.
1. INTRODUCTION
In the past few years, theoretical investigations have
revealed that the multipath wireless channel is capable
of enormous capacities, provided that the multipath
scattering is sufficiently rich and is properly exploited
through the use of an appropriate processing
architecture [1-4]. The diagonally-layered space-time
architecture proposed by Foschini [1], now known as
diagonal BLAST (Bell Laboratories Layered Space-
Time) or D-BLAST, is one such approach. D-BLAST
utilizes multi-element antenna arrays at both
transmitter and receiver and an elegant diagonally-
layered coding structure in which code blocks are
dispersed across diagonals in space-time. In an
independent Rayleigh scattering environment, this
processing structure leads to theoretical rates which
grow linearly with the number of antennas (assuming
equal numbers of transmit and receive antennas) with
these rates approaching 90% of Shannon capacity.
However, the diagonal approach suffers from
certain implementation complexities which make it
inappropriate for initial implementation. In this paper,
we describe a simplified version of BLAST known as
vertical BLAST or V-BLAST, which has been
implemented in realtime in the laboratory. Using our
laboratory prototype, we have demonstrated spectral
efficiencies of 20 - 40 bps/Hz at average SNRs
ranging from 24 to 34 dB. Although these results were
obtained in a relatively benign indoor environment,
we believe that spectral efficiencies of this magnitude
are unprecedented, regardless of propagation
environment or SNR, and are simply unattainable
using traditional techniques.
2. SYSTEM OVERVIEW
A high-level block diagram of a BLAST system is
shown in Fig. 1. A single data stream is
demultiplexed into M substreams, and each substream
is then encoded into symbols and fed to its respective
transmitter. (The encoding process is discussed in
more detail below.) Transmitters 1 − M operate co-
channel at symbol rate 1/ T symbols/sec, with
synchronized symbol timing. Each transmitter is itself
an ordinary QAM transmitter. The collection of
transmitters comprises, in effect, a vector-valued
transmitter, where components of each transmitted
M-vector are symbols drawn from a QAM
constellation. We assume that the same constellation
is used for each substream, and that transmissions are
organized into bursts of L symbols. The power
launched by each transmitter is proportional to 1/ M so
that the total radiated power is constant and
TX
TX
TX
TX
RX
RX
RX
RX
RX
RX
TX
data
V-BLAST
signal
processing:
Estimate
a
and decode
a
1
a
2
a
3
a
4
Vector
encoder
RX
data
Rich scattering
environment
a
≡
(, ,, )
aaaa
1234
T
Vector symbol:
Number of transmitters:
M
Number of receivers:
N
Notation:
independent of M.
Figure 1: V-BLAST high level system diagram
The essential difference between D-BLAST and V-
BLAST lies in the vector encoding process. In D-
BLAST, redundancy between the substreams is
introduced through the use of specialized inter-
substream block coding. The D-BLAST code blocks
are organized along diagonals in space-time. It is this
coding that leads to D-BLAST’s higher spectral
efficiencies for a given number of transmitters and
receivers. In V-BLAST, however, the vector encoding
process is simply a demultiplex operation followed by
independent bit-to-symbol mapping of each
substream. No inter-substream coding, or coding of
any kind, is required, though conventional coding of
the individual substreams may certainly be applied.
For the remainder of this paper, we will assume for