Best Paper Award auf der IEEE PIMRC 2026

Unser Beitrag "Robust Physical-Layer Group Key Generation for User-Centric Cell-Free Networks" von Ghazal Bagheri, Ali Khandan Boroujeni, Stefan Köpsell und Rafael F. Schaefer wurde auf der IEEE PIMRC 2026 in Singapur mit einem Best Paper Award ausgezeichnet. Die IEEE PIMRC ist eine internationale Konferenz, die sich mit aktuellen Fortschritten in der mobilen und drahtlosen Kommunikation sowie in Kommunikationsnetzen befasst.

Abstract: Establishing a common secret key among multiple users is particularly challenging in user-centric cell-free networks, where users may be served by different sets of distributed access points. In this work, we propose a robust, dealerless physical-layer group key generation framework that exploits channel reciprocity between users and access points. The proposed receiver-aggregated approach relies on a common set of distributed access points as sources of shared randomness, allowing the users to establish a common secret key without a trusted key dealer. Polar Slepian–Wolf reconciliation and privacy amplification are employed to support reliable and secure key agreement. The framework is further designed to remain robust in the presence of compromised access points, making it suitable for secure group communication in future distributed wireless networks.