Massive MIMO is a Reality -- What is Next? Five Promising Research Directions for Antenna Arrays

Massive MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) is no longer a "wild" or "promising" concept for future cellular networks - in 2018 it became a reality. Base stations (BSs) with 64 fully digital transceiver chains were commercially deployed in several countries, the key ingredients of Massive MIMO have made it into the 5G standard, the signal processing methods required to achieve unprecedented spectral efficiency have been developed, and the limitation due to pilot contamination has been resolved. Even the development of fully digital Massive MIMO arrays for mmWave frequencies - once viewed prohibitively complicated and costly - is well underway. In a few years, Massive MIMO with fully digital transceivers will be a mainstream feature at both sub-6 GHz and mmWave frequencies. In this paper, we explain how the first chapter of the Massive MIMO research saga has come to an end, while the story has just begun. The coming wide-scale deployment of BSs with massive antenna arrays opens the door to a brand new world where spatial processing capabilities are omnipresent. In addition to mobile broadband services, the antennas can be used for other communication applications, such as low-power machine-type or ultra-reliable communications, as well as non-communication applications such as radar, sensing and positioning. We outline five new Massive MIMO related research directions: Extremely large aperture arrays, Holographic Massive MIMO, Six-dimensional positioning, Large-scale MIMO radar, and Intelligent Massive MIMO.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Digital Signal Processin

State-of-the-art assessment of 5G mmWave communications

Deliverable D2.1 del proyecto 5GWirelessMain objective of the European 5Gwireless project, which is part of the H2020 Marie Slodowska- Curie ITN (Innovative Training Networks) program resides in the training and involvement of young researchers in the elaboration of future mobile communication networks, focusing on innovative wireless technologies, heterogeneous network architectures, new topologies (including ultra-dense deployments), and appropriate tools. The present Document D2.1 is the first deliverable of Work- Package 2 (WP2) that is specifically devoted to the modeling of the millimeter-wave (mmWave) propagation channels, and development of appropriate mmWave beamforming and signal processing techniques. Deliver D2.1 gives a state-of-the-art on the mmWave channel measurement, characterization and modeling; existing antenna array technologies, channel estimation and precoding algorithms; proposed deployment and networking techniques; some performance studies; as well as a review on the evaluation and analysis toolsPostprint (published version

Methodologies for Future Vehicular Digital Twins

The role of wireless communications in various domains of intelligent transportation systems is significant; it is evident that dependable message exchange between nodes (cars, bikes, pedestrians, infrastructure, etc.) has to be guaranteed to fulfill the stringent requirements for future transportation systems. A precise site-specific digital twin is seen as a key enabler for the cost-effective development and validation of future vehicular communication systems. Furthermore, achieving a realistic digital twin for dependable wireless communications requires accurate measurement, modeling, and emulation of wireless communication channels. However, contemporary approaches in these domains are not efficient enough to satisfy the foreseen needs. In this position paper, we overview the current solutions, indicate their limitations, and discuss the most prospective paths for future investigation.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Magazin

Millimeter-Wave Massive MU-MIMO Performance Analysis for Private Underground Mine Communications

In this article, a performance analysis of millimeter wave (mmWave) massive multiuser multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) channel within an underground mine is performed. The analysis is based on channel measurements conducted at 28 GHz using a base station of 64 virtual antenna elements serving multiple users. Channel characteristics such as large-scale path loss, time dispersion, coherence bandwidth and sum-rate capacity are reported and evaluated. The results indicate that multislope path loss model is better suited for precise prediction of path loss across various propagation segments within the mining gallery. The time dispersion analysis reveals that the underground mine channel does not cause significant time dispersion, as 90% of the root-mean-square (rms) delay spreads are below 4 ns. In addition, it was found that the rms delay spread is not dependent on the propagation distance. The study on sum-rate capacity highlights the potential of employing massive MIMO technology to improve the channel’s spectral efficiency. The analysis reveals that the capacity, with eight active users, can reach up to 33.54 bit/s/Hz. The outcomes of this article offer valuable insights into the propagation properties of underground mine environment, which is characterized by rich-scattering and irregular topology