Channel estimation and channel tracking for correlated block-fading channels in massive MIMO systems

This paper presents a channel estimation and tracking method for correlated block-fading channels in massive MIMO wireless cellular systems. In order to conserve resources, the proposed algorithm requires the uplink pilot signal only once, at the start of communication. By utilizing the temporal correlation between consecutive Resource Blocks (RBs) and the error correction capability of turbo codes, the channel matrix in subsequent RBs is estimated at the Base Station (BS) itself using the uplink data of current the RB and the estimated channel matrix of previous the RB. Compared to existing blind estimation methods, the proposed method places fewer limitations on the system settings such as the number of BS antennas, the number of users, and the number of coherent channel usage compared to existing blind estimation methods. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm provides better performance for a moderate RB size, a high-order of QAM scheme, and a smaller ratio of the number of BS antennas and mobile terminals (N/K). For a reasonably small N/K (order of 10), the proposed scheme achieves a lower symbol error probability than the conventional pilot-based estimation approach.