Sven Jacobsson

One-bit massive MIMO: Channel estimation and high-order modulations

We investigate the information-theoretic throughout achievable on a fading communication link when the receiver is equipped with one-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). The analysis is conducted for the setting where neither the transmitter nor the receiver have a priori information on the realization of the fading channels. This means that channel-state information needs to be acquired at the receiver on the basis of the one-bit quantized channel outputs. We show that least-squares (LS) channel estimation combined with joint pilot and data processing is capacity achieving in the single-user, single-receive-antenna case. We also investigate the achievable uplink throughput in a massive multiple-input multiple-output system where each element of the antenna array at the receiver base-station feeds a one-bit ADC. We show that LS channel estimation and maximum-ratio combining are sufficient to support both multiuser operation and the use of high-order constellations. This holds in spite of the severe non-linearity introduced by the one-bit ADCs.

Throughput Analysis of Massive MIMO Uplink With Low-Resolution ADCs

We investigate the uplink throughput achievable by a multiple-user (MU) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, in which the base station is equipped with a large number of low-resolution analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Our focus is on the case where neither the transmitter nor the receiver have any a priori channel state information. This implies that the fading realizations have to be learned through pilot transmission followed by channel estimation at the receiver, based on coarsely quantized observations. We propose a novel channel estimator, based on Bussgang’s decomposition, and a novel approximation to the rate achievable with finite-resolution ADCs, both for the case of finite-cardinality constellations and of Gaussian inputs, that is accurate for a broad range of system parameters. Through numerical results, we illustrate that, for the 1-bit quantized case, pilot-based channel estimation together with maximal-ratio combing, or zero-forcing detection enables reliable multi-user communication with high-order constellations, in spite of the severe nonlinearity introduced by the ADCs. Furthermore, we show that the rate achievable in the infinite-resolution (no quantization) case can be approached using ADCs with only a few bits of resolution. We finally investigate the robustness of low-ADC-resolution MU-MIMO uplink against receive power imbalances between the different users, caused for example by imperfect power control.

Quantized Precoding for Massive MU-MIMO

Massive multiuser (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is foreseen to be one of the key technologies in fifth-generation wireless communication systems. In this paper, we investigate the problem of downlink precoding for a narrowband massive MU-MIMO system with low-resolution digital-to-analog converters (DACs) at the base station (BS). We analyze the performance of linear precoders, such as maximal-ratio transmission and zero-forcing, subject to coarse quantization. Using Bussgang’s theorem, we derive a closed-form approximation on the rate achievable under such coarse quantization. Our results reveal that the performance attainable with infinite-resolution DACs can be approached using DACs having only 3–4 bits of resolution, depending on the number of BS antennas and the number of user equipments (UEs). For the case of 1-bit DACs, we also propose novel nonlinear precoding algorithms that significantly outperform linear precoders at the cost of an increased computational complexity. Specifically, we show that nonlinear precoding incurs only a 3 dB penalty compared with the infinite-resolution case for an uncoded bit-error rate of 10−3, in a system with 128 BS antennas that uses 1-bit DACs and serves 16 single-antenna UEs. In contrast, the penalty for linear precoders is about 8 dB.

Nonlinear 1-bit precoding for massive MU-MIMO with higher-order modulation

Massive multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is widely believed to be a core technology for the upcoming fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication standards. The use of low-precision digital-to-analog converters (DACs) in MU-MIMO base stations is of interest because it reduces the power consumption, system costs, and raw baseband data rates. In this paper, we develop novel algorithms for downlink precoding in massive MU-MIMO systems with 1-bit DACs that support higher-order modulation schemes such as 8-PSK or 16-QAM. Specifically, we present low-complexity nonlinear precoding algorithms that achieve low error rates when combined with blind or training-based channel-estimation algorithms at the user equipment. These results are in stark contrast to linear-quantized precoding algorithms, which suffer from a high error floor if used with high-order modulation schemes and 1-bit DACs.