Effects of Beam Configuration on Performances of NOMA System for Millimeter Wave Channels

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is a technique that forms a NOMA group composed of two or more users and transmits the superimposed signals of all users in the group through a single beam. In case all users in a NOMA group fall within the main lobe, a high data rate is guaranteed. However, in case not all users in the group fall within the main lobe due to the narrow beam width, the sum data rate decreases, and the data rate disparity between users inside and outside the main lobe widens significantly, leading to reduced fairness. On the other hand, an excessively wide beam might reduce the channel gain which lowers the sum data rate. This paper discusses the effects of beam configuration on the throughput and fairness performances of the NOMA system in the millimeter wave channel environments with simulation results for various channel parameters including the number of antennas and beam directions.