Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Model for Radio Map Estimation in Generative Wireless Networks

Abstract

The increasing demand for high-speed and reliable wireless networks has driven advancements in technologies such as millimeter-wave and 5G radios, which requires efficient planning and timely deployment of wireless access points. A critical tool in this process is the radio map, a graphical representation of radio-frequency signal strengths that plays a vital role in optimizing overall network performance. However, existing methods for estimating radio maps face challenges due to the need for extensive real-world data collection or computationally intensive ray-tracing analyses, which is costly and time-consuming. Inspired by the success of generative AI techniques in large language models and image generation, we explore their potential applications in the realm of wireless networks. In this work, we propose RM-Gen, a novel generative framework leveraging conditional denoising diffusion probabilistic models to synthesize radio maps using minimal and readily collected data. We then introduce an environment-aware method for selecting critical data pieces, enhancing the generative model’s applicability and usability. Comprehensive evaluations demonstrate that RM-Gen achieves over 95% accuracy in generating radio maps for networks that operate at 60 GHz and sub-6GHz frequency bands, outperforming the baseline GAN and pix2pix models. This approach offers a cost-effective, adaptable solution for various downstream network optimization tasks.