Systems and methods for location based uplink (UL) multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) pairing

A system for selecting wireless devices for pairing in a cellular network, the system comprising:

• a processing node configured to:
• prioritize a plurality of wireless devices located within a radio range of a first access node for uplink (UL) multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) pairing, the wireless devices having a channel orthogonality meeting a set channel orthogonality condition;
• detect a second access node located within the radio range of the first access node;
• determine a location of each of the prioritized wireless devices with respect to the second access node to detect underlying coverage deployed by the second access node for at least one prioritized wireless device;
• select, based on the detection of underlying coverage, the at least one prioritized wireless device located within underlying coverage deployed by the second access node for de-prioritization for UL MU-MIMO pairing;
• de-prioritize the selected wireless device located within a radio range of the second access node for UL MU-MIMO pairing;
• pair remaining prioritized wireless devices to share a same set of resource blocks;
• and
• serve the at least one de-prioritized wireless device by one of (a) handing over the at least one de-prioritized wireless device to the second access node;
• or (b) distributing remaining resource blocks from the first access node to the at least one de-prioritized wireless device.

A method for selecting wireless devices for pairing in a cellular network, the method comprising:

• determining, based on a channel condition criteria and a channel orthogonality criteria for one or more wireless devices, that the one or more wireless devices can be served by a first access node for uplink (UL) multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO);
• prioritizing the one or more wireless devices served by the first access node for ULMU-MIMO pairing;
• determining that at least one of the one or more prioritized wireless devices is in a location within a coverage area of a second access node and has underlying coverage deployed by the second access node;
• de-prioritizing the at least one prioritized wireless device, based on the location of the at least one prioritized device in the underlying coverage deployed by the second access node, for selection as a UL MU-MIMO wireless device;
• pairing remaining prioritized wireless devices to share a same set of resource blocks;
• and
• serving the at least one de-prioritized wireless device by one of (a) handing over the at least one de-prioritized wireless device to the second access node;
• or (b) distributing remaining resource blocks from the first access node to the at least one de-prioritized wireless device.