Massive MIMO Networks: Spectral, Energy, and Hardware Efficiency

Abstract

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is one of the most promising technologies for the next generation of wireless communication networks because it has the potential to provide game-changing improvements in spectral efficiency (SE) and energy efficiency (EE). This monograph summarizes many years of research insights in a clear and self-contained way and provides the reader with the necessary knowledge and mathematical tools to carry out independent research in this area. Starting from a rigorous definition of Massive MIMO, the monograph covers the important aspects of channel estimation, SE, EE, hardware efficiency (HE), and various practical deployment considerations. From the beginning, a very general, yet tractable, canonical system model with spatial channel correlation is introduced. This model is used to realistically assess the SE and EE, and is later extended to also include the impact of hardware impairments. Owing to this rigorous modeling approach, a lot of classic “wisdom” about Massive MIMO, based on too simplistic system models, is shown to be questionable.