Chapter 19: Distributed Source Coding and Joint Source–Channel Coding

Learning Objectives

• Formulate source coding problems over multiuser channels (MAC and BC)
• State and prove sufficient conditions for separation of source and channel coding over the MAC
• Identify when separation fails in multi-terminal settings and explain why
• Prove the separation theorem for point-to-point channels using typicality arguments
• Analyze joint source–channel coding schemes that outperform separate designs
• Evaluate practical implications for modern standards (5G NR) and emerging scenarios (URLLC, semantic communication)