Co-sponsored by: Saraswati Kaja Abstract: Cloud radio access network (C-RAN) is an emerging wireless cellullar architecture in which the base-stations (BSs) take advantage of high-capacity backhaul links to upload signal processing and computation to a cloud-computing based central processor. The C-RAN architecture offers an enabling platform for the centralized joint encoding and joint decoding of user messages and a capability for intercell interference mitigation across the BSs. In this talk, we address the capacity analysis and optimization technique for C-RAN while specifically taking into account the finite capacity constraint on the backhaul links. In the uplink, the C-RAN architecture can be modeled as a multiple-access relay channel. We show that a compress-and-forward scheme in which the BSs quantize the received signals and send the quantized signals to the central processor is near optimum. In the downlink, the C-RAN architecture can be modeled as a broadcast relay channel. We compare the message-sharing strategy versus compression-based strategy for this setting, and show how compressed sensing and weighted minimum mean-squared error (WMMSE) techniques can be used to solve a network utility maximization problem involving joint user scheduling, BS clustering and beamforming in a user-centric message-sharing C-RAN design.   Speaker(s): Dr. Wei Yu, Agenda: 1.       Pizza is served. 2.       6-6:30 is networking time 3.       The lecture starts at 6:30. Location: Room: Room #1919 Bldg: Building #99 14820 NE 36th Street Redmond, Washington