Reducing Complexity in Next-Generation MU-MIMO Systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel system architecture for next-generation MU-MIMO networks that significantly reduces hardware complexity and feedback requirements while maintaining high data rates in interference-limited environments.

Contribution

It proposes a new network design with antenna technology and protocols that lower hardware and feedback demands in multi-user MIMO systems, enhancing practicality.

Findings

Achieves substantial hardware and feedback reduction.

Provides significant downlink sum-rate improvements.

Supports arbitrary number of remote radio heads.

Abstract

Recently, several advanced multi-antenna radio communications technologies have emerged to meet the increased capacity demands in wireless multi-user networks. Despite their great potential, the extent of these techniques' practical applicability still remains questionable, since they have to face either backhaul limitations or cost and hardware constraints. In this paper, we propose a new system solution which includes network architecture, antenna technology and radio transmission protocol to reduce drastically the hardware complexity and cost as well as the channel state information / user data feedback requirements of multi-user multi-antenna wireless networks. We focus on the forward link of an interference channel in a cloud radio access network setup wherein an arbitrary number of remote radio heads are each equipped with a single radio frequency module parasitic antenna array and wish to send data to their respective single-antenna user terminals, while co-existing in time and frequency. Base stations select cooperatively the optimal combination of pre-determined beams prior transmission. Our proposed approach is able to achieve the aforementioned goals, while offering significant downlink sum-rate gains due to the available spatial degrees of freedom.