Performance analysis of linear detection for uplink massive MIMO system based on spectral and energy efficiency with Rayleigh fading channels in 3D plotting pattern

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is a critical component of 5G cellular networks, which utilizes large numbers of antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to enhance throughput and radiated energy efficiency. Various linear detection techniques are employed with massive MIMO to counteract path loss and interference, and maximize throughput. The first aim of this paper is to analyse the performance of uplink massive MIMO system for different linear detection techniques including: Maximum ratio combining (MRC), zero-forcing (ZF), regularized ZF (RZF) and minimum mean squared error (MMSE) over Rayleigh channel model. The second aim is to jointly investigate the optimal values of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the number of antennas M and the number of users K for maximizing the spectral efficiency (SE) and energy efficiency (EE) through simulation using MATLAB and 3D plotting patterns. The obtained results show that the best SE and EE are achieved by uplink massive MIMO setup while using optimal values of SNR, M and K. It is observed that MMSE achieved the best performance. However, it requires estimation of average SNR at BS. Therefore, the best choice is ZF or RZF without any need for SNR estimation.