Outage Analysis of RSMA-Enabled Terrestrial Users Under Co-Channel Interference from HAPS

The coexistence of terrestrial networks (TNs) with high-altitude platform station (HAPS)-based non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) is a promising approach for extending 6G connectivity, but the resulting cross-network interference can significantly affect TN reliability. This paper investigates an rate-splitting multiple access (RSMA)-based TN operating under interference from a multibeam HAPS-NTN system. The desired TN links are modeled using Nakagami-m fading, while the aggregate HAPS interference is characterized by shadowed-Rician fading. Closed-form outage probability expressions are derived by characterizing the aggregate interference and accounting for both perfect and imperfect successive interference cancellation (SIC). Monte Carlo simulations are used to verify the analytical results and to examine the effects of HAPS transmit power, the number of interfering beams, and SIC imperfections. The results demonstrate that the interference-to-signal power scaling is a key factor determining TN outage behavior, with jointly scaled HAPS interference leading to interference-limited performance. Moreover, RSMA provides improved outage performance compared with non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), particularly in the presence of HAPS interference