Comparing Theoretic Single-User and Multi-User Full-Dimension MIMO Data Throughputs in Realistic City-Wide LTE-A Deployments

This paper evaluates the theoretic performance of multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MU-MIMO) systems in heterogeneous LTE-Advanced urban environments (i.e. Macrocells and Picocells) using classic Eigen-Beamforming (EBF) and Block Diagonalisation (BD) precoding methods. The work quantifies the realistically achievable improvement of MU-MIMO compared with traditional single-user (SU) MIMO schemes. In addition, the impact on system level capacity of different Base Station (BS) antenna numbers and array geometries are investigated. A 3D ray-tracing channel propagation model of the City of Bristol (UK) was used along with measured 3D polarimetric antenna patterns for the individual BS and UE elements. More than one million ray-traced Pico and Macro cellular links were evaluated to ensure statistical relevance. Our analysis quantifies the capacity of an 8x8 Full-Dimension MU-MIMO solution in realistic urban heterogeneous environments addressing single-antenna and dual-antenna UEs. Results address the system level benefits of increasing the number of BS and UE antenna elements as well as the sensitivity of capacity to vertical and horizontal spatial element configurations at the BS.