GLDPC-PC Codes: Channel Coding Towards 6G Communications

The sixth generation (6G) wireless communication system will improve the key technical indicators by one to two orders of magnitude, and come with some new features. As a crucial technique to enhance the reliability and efficiency of data transmission, the next generation channel coding is not only required to satisfy the stringent requirements of 6G, but also expected to be backward compatible to avoid imposing additional burden on the crowded baseband chip. This article provides an overview of the potential channel codes for 6G communications. In addition, we explore to develop next-generation channel codes based on low-density parity-check (LDPC) and polar frameworks, introducing a novel concept called generalized LDPC with polar-like component (GLDPC-PC) codes. The codes have exhibited promising error correction performance and manageable complexity, which can be further optimized by specific code design. The opportunities and challenges of GLDPC-PC codes are also discussed, considering the practical applications to 6G communication systems.
Comment: Submitted to IEEE Communications Magazine