Decoupling Strategies for Asynchronous Integrated Communication and Localization Networks

Integrated communication and localization (ICAL) is of significant importance for a variety of applications in beyond 5G and 6G networks. Meanwhile, strict and high-precision clock synchronization is difficult to realize in realistic networks. This paper proposes two decoupling strategies for asynchronous ICAL networks in which positioning can be realized with phase modulated symbols. We first illustrate the coupling relationship between communication and localization based on Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) and then pilot-based and differential-based decoupling strategies are given. Furthermore, we analyze the localization performance between positioning-only and ICAL signals. Simulations show that the proposed strategies are able to simultaneously achieve reliable data transmission and accurate localization.