Appropriate Algorithms for Estimating Frequency-Selective Rician Fading MIMO Channels and Channel Rice Factor: Substantial Benefits of Rician Model and Estimator Tradeoffs

<p/> <p>The training-based channel estimation (TBCE) scheme in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) frequency-selective Rician fading channels is investigated. We propose the new technique of shifted scaled least squares (SSLS) and the minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimator that are suitable to estimate the above-mentioned channel model. Analytical results show that the proposed estimators achieve much better minimum possible Bayesian Cram&#233;r-Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) in the frequency-selective Rician MIMO channels compared with those of Rayleigh one. It is seen that the SSLS channel estimator requires less knowledge about the channel and/or has better performance than the conventional least squares (LS) and MMSE estimators. Simulation results confirm the superiority of the proposed channel estimators. Finally, to estimate the channel Rice factor, an algorithm is proposed, and its efficiency is verified using the result in the SSLS and MMSE channel estimators.</p