Developing Self-Interference Cancellation for the Full-Duplex Revolution

Self-interference cancellation invalidates a long-held fundamental assumption in wireless network design that radios can only operate in half duplex mode on the same channel. Beyond enabling true in-band full duplex, which effectively doubles spectral efficiency, self-interference cancellation tremendously simplifies spectrum management. It enables future networks to leverage fragmented spectrum, a pressing global issue that will continue to worsen as the spectrum gets more crowded. Self-interference cancellation offers a sustainable path toward denser heterogeneous networks and can be utilized in wireless communication systems in multiple ways, including increased link capacity, spectrum virtualization, any-division duplexing (ADD), novel relay solutions, and enhanced interference coordination. This presentation will discuss the evolution of the technology since its roots at Stanford University, its applications, implementation challenges, and state-of-the-art performance based on dedicated integrated circuits (ICs) that have been developed to enable mass adoption of the technology.