CSI acquisition concepts for advanced antenna schemes in the WINNER+ project

This paper summarizes four novel advanced antenna concepts explored in the framework of the WINNER+ project. The concepts are related to multiuser MIMO communication in cellular networks, focusing on the acquisition and application of channel state information (CSI) at the transmitter in time-division-duplex (TDD) mode. The concepts include new ideas for CSI modeling and sounding for the purposes of multiuser precoding, and methods for pilot signal design with the aim to support the estimation of different CSI quantities. Furthermore, a new relaying strategy for terminal-to-terminal communication is described. All the ideas are feasible for adoption into practical upcoming communication systems such as LTE-Advanced, and most of the proposed concepts have only a minor impact on standards. Our study indicates that the CSI at its best is not only about estimating the channel responses between different antenna pairs. What counts is the nature of the intended communication link as well as the form in which CSI is applied.