Security Link-associated researcher Erik G. Larsson, together with co-authors Hien Quoc Ngo, Alexei Ashikhmin, Hong Yang, and Thomas L. Marzetta, has been awarded the 2026 IEEE Communications Society Test of Time Paper Award for Advances in Communications for the paper “Cell-Free Massive MIMO Versus Small Cells”, published in IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications in 2017.
In the awarded paper (link: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7827017), the authors introduced the concept of cell-free massive MIMO, a wireless network architecture in which a large number of distributed access points jointly serve users over the same time-frequency resources. The work presented a comprehensive system framework, including channel estimation, beamforming, pilot assignment, and power-control methods, and demonstrated the potential of the architecture to deliver uniformly high service quality across a coverage area. The paper helped establish cell-free massive MIMO as a major research direction in wireless communications and has had a lasting influence on the development of mobile networks.
The IEEE Communications Society Test of Time Paper Award recognizes papers that have demonstrated lasting scientific impact and have significantly influenced the development of communications research. The award is presented annually to an outstanding paper published in an IEEE Communications Society publication within the previous 15 years and highlights research contributions that open new directions for the field and continue to shape research and innovation over time. The 2026 award recognizes the authors’ influential work on cell-free massive MIMO, which has become an important research area in future wireless communication systems.