Massive MIMO


Information & Communication

Project Description

Large-scale antenna systems, also known as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, are considered one of the main technologies to improve spectral efficiency to satisfy the explosive growth in demand for wireless services in next generation communication systems. Together with the push towards higher frequency bands (e.g. millimeter-wave) and small cell architectures, massive MIMO can greatly enhance the wireless communication capacity to improve quality of service via enhanced channel gain and multiuser diversity gain while eliminating user interference which is in line with the kingdom vision 2030. This project will investigate three subtopics of interest: 1) channel estimation for time-division duplexing (TDD) massive MIMO systems, 2) distributed massive MIMO optimal array design, and 3) limited radio frequency (RF) chains. Developing techniques for estimating the channel downlink in a multi-input-multi-mass output system is a challenge because of the large number of antennas available at the main station.

The team aims to investigate novel semi-blind channel estimation schemes for channel estimation is beneficial for time-division duplexing (TDD) systems (for both uplink and downlink), making it an effective solution to the challenging pilot contamination problem. In addition, studying the tradeoffs of different sub-array divisions and location patterns will provide useful guidelines for system deployment. The hardware complexity of massive MIMO necessitates consideration of architectures with lower complexity, so this project will also look to see if it is possible to reduce an RF chain by exploiting the low dimensional channel property in massive MIMO systems.

Team Members

List of Publications