# Non-Stationarities in Extra-Large Scale Massive MIMO

## TL;DR

This paper explores how spatial non-stationarities in extra-large scale Massive MIMO systems affect channel properties and system design, highlighting both challenges and opportunities for improved performance.

## Contribution

It introduces the concept of extra-large scale regimes in Massive MIMO and analyzes how non-stationarities influence system design and performance.

## Key findings

- Non-stationarities become prominent at large array sizes.
- Neglecting non-stationarities leads to performance degradation.
- Embracing non-stationarities can reduce computational load.

## Abstract

Massive MIMO, a key technology for increasing area spectral efficiency in cellular systems, was developed assuming moderately sized apertures. In this paper, we argue that massive MIMO systems behave differently in large-scale regimes due to spatial non-stationarity. In the large-scale regime, with arrays of around fifty wavelengths, the terminals see the whole array but non-stationarities occur because different regions of the array see different propagation paths. At even larger dimensions, which we call the extra-large scale regime, terminals see a portion of the array and inside the first type of non-stationarities might occur. We show that the non-stationarity properties of the massive MIMO channel changes several important MIMO design aspects. In simulations, we demonstrate how non-stationarity is a curse when neglected but a blessing when embraced in terms of computational load and multi-user transceiver design.