Multi-Cell Massive MIMO Performance with Double Scattering Channels

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the spectral efficiency of multi-cell Massive MIMO systems under the double scattering channel model, highlighting differences from traditional models and providing simulation-based insights.

Contribution

It introduces the double scattering channel model for Massive MIMO, providing numerical methods to evaluate spectral efficiency where closed-form solutions are intractable.

Findings

Double scattering channels significantly differ from Gaussian models in Massive MIMO.

Spectral efficiency depends on specific scattering conditions and pilot contamination.

Simulation results show conditions where double scattering yields similar SE to Rayleigh fading.

Abstract

This paper investigates the spectral efficiency (SE) of multi-cell Massive Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) using different channel models. Prior works have derived closed-form SE bounds and approximations for Gaussian distributed channels, while we consider the double scattering model-a prime example of a non-Gaussian channel for which it is intractable to obtain closed form SE expressions. The channels are estimated using limited resources, which gives rise to pilot contamination, and the estimates are used for linear detection and to compute the SE numerically. Analytical and numerical examples are used to describe the key behaviors of the double scattering models, which differ from conventional Massive MIMO models. Finally, we provide multi-cell simulation results that compare the double scattering model with uncorrelated Rayleigh fading and explain under what conditions we can expect to achieve similar SEs.