Bit error probability approximation for cooperative links with multiple relays

Abstract

We propose a simple, yet a tight approximation for the average bit error probability of decode and forward cooperative links. The proposed approximation achieves an accuracy of at least 99% even for very low source-destination SNR levels. Due to its simplicity, the proposed approximation provides a very suitable tool for power allocation schemes based on BER criterion, in particular for energy-constrained wireless networks.