What is successive interference cancellation?

Successive interference cancellation, also known as SIC, is a signal processing technique used to mitigate the effects of interference in wireless communication systems.

In SIC, signals are received and processed sequentially, with each processing stage attempting to remove the interference from the previous stage. The process begins by detecting all the signals present in the received signal, which may include desired signal(s) and other unwanted signals (interference).

The first stage selectively filters out the strongest interference signal using a filter or an equalizer. The filtered signal is then subtracted from the original signal, leaving behind the partially cleaned up version of the desired signal.

This partially cleaned up signal is then processed by the next stage, repeating the previous process to remove another layer of interference signal. The process continues until all the desired signal components are completely separated from the interference.

Successive interference cancellation is widely used in modern communication systems, including cellular networks, satellite communication, and WiFi networks, to enhance their performance and reduce interference. This technique can greatly improve the quality and reliability of wireless communication systems.