학술논문

Massive MIMO Evolution Toward 3GPP Release 18
Document Type
Periodical
Source
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications IEEE J. Select. Areas Commun. Selected Areas in Communications, IEEE Journal on. 41(6):1635-1654 Jun, 2023
Subject
Communication, Networking and Broadcast Technologies
3GPP
Uplink
Antenna arrays
Downlink
Array signal processing
Massive MIMO
Channel estimation
5G-NR
beamforming
codebooks
coherent joint transmission
CSI
massive MIMO
Language
ISSN
0733-8716
1558-0008
Abstract
Since the introduction of fifth-generation new radio (5G-NR) in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 15, swift progress has been made to evolve 5G with 3GPP Release 18 emerging. A critical aspect is the design of massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. In this line, this paper makes several important contributions: We provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution of standardized massive MIMO features from 3GPP Release 15 to 17 for both time/frequency-division duplex operation across frequency range in (FR)-1 and FR 2-1. We analyze the progress on channel state information (CSI) frameworks, beam management frameworks and present enhancements for uplink CSI. We shed light on emerging 3GPP Release 18 problems requiring imminent attention. These include advanced codebook design and sounding reference signal design for coherent joint transmission (CJT) with multiple transmission/reception points (multi TRPs). We discuss advancements in uplink demodulation reference signal design, enhancements for mobility to provide accurate CSI estimates, and unified transmission configuration indicator framework tailored for FR 2–1 bands. For each concept, we provide system level simulation results to highlight their performance benefits. Via field trials in an outdoor environment at Shanghai Jiaotong University, we demonstrate the gains of multi-TRP CJT relative to single TRP at 3.7 GHz.