Recurrent neural network channel estimation using measured massive MIMO data

In this work, we develop a novel channel estimation method using recurrent neural networks (RNNs) for massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. The proposed framework alleviates the need for channel-state-information (CSI) feedback and pilot assignment through exploiting the inherent time and frequency correlations in practical propagation environments. We carry out the analysis using empirical MIMO channel measurements between a 64T64R active antenna system and a state-of-the-art multi-antenna scanner for both mobile and stationary use-cases. We also capture and analyze similar MIMO channel data from a legacy 2T2R base station (BS) for comparison purposes. Our findings confirm the applicability of utilising the proposed RNN-based massive MIMO channel acquisition scheme particularly for channels with long time coherence and hardening effects. In our practical setup, the proposed method reduced the number of pilots used by 25%

Random Access Protocols for Massive MIMO

5G wireless networks are expected to support new services with stringent requirements on data rates, latency and reliability. One novel feature is the ability to serve a dense crowd of devices, calling for radically new ways of accessing the network. This is the case in machine-type communications, but also in urban environments and hotspots. In those use cases, the high number of devices and the relatively short channel coherence interval do not allow per-device allocation of orthogonal pilot sequences. This article motivates the need for random access by the devices to pilot sequences used for channel estimation, and shows that Massive MIMO is a main enabler to achieve fast access with high data rates, and delay-tolerant access with different data rate levels. Three pilot access protocols along with data transmission protocols are described, fulfilling different requirements of 5G services

A Coordinated Approach to Channel Estimation in Large-scale Multiple-antenna Systems

This paper addresses the problem of channel estimation in multi-cell interference-limited cellular networks. We consider systems employing multiple antennas and are interested in both the finite and large-scale antenna number regimes (so-called "massive MIMO"). Such systems deal with the multi-cell interference by way of per-cell beamforming applied at each base station. Channel estimation in such networks, which is known to be hampered by the pilot contamination effect, constitute a major bottleneck for overall performance. We present a novel approach which tackles this problem by enabling a low-rate coordination between cells during the channel estimation phase itself. The coordination makes use of the additional second-order statistical information about the user channels, which are shown to offer a powerful way of discriminating across interfering users with even strongly correlated pilot sequences. Importantly, we demonstrate analytically that in the large-number-of-antennas regime, the pilot contamination effect is made to vanish completely under certain conditions on the channel covariance. Gains over the conventional channel estimation framework are confirmed by our simulations for even small antenna array sizes.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, to appear in IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communication