A Partial Channel Reciprocity-Based Codebook for Wideband FDD Massive MIMO

The acquisition of channel state information (CSI) in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) massive MIMO has been a formidable challenge. In this paper, we address this problem with a novel CSI feedback framework enabled by the partial reciprocity of uplink and downlink channels in the wideband regime. We first derive the closed-form expression of the rank of the wideband massive MIMO channel covariance matrix for a given angle-delay distribution. A low-rankness property is identified, which generalizes the well-known result of the narrow-band uniform linear array setting. Then we propose a partial channel reciprocity (PCR) codebook, inspired by the low-rankness behavior and the fact that the uplink and downlink channels have similar angle-delay distributions. Compared to the latest codebook in 5G, the proposed PCR codebook scheme achieves higher performance, lower complexity at the user side, and requires less feedback. We derive the feedback overhead necessary to achieve asymptotically error-free CSI feedback. Two low-complexity alternatives are also proposed to further reduce the complexity at the base station side. Simulations with the practical 3GPP channel model show the significant gains over the latest 5G codebook, which prove that our proposed methods are practical solutions for 5G and beyond.

Automated summary

This paper addresses the challenge of acquiring channel state information (CSI) in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) massive MIMO. A novel CSI feedback framework is proposed based on the partial reciprocity of uplink and downlink channels in the wideband regime. The paper derives the rank expression of the wideband massive MIMO channel covariance matrix and identifies a low-rankness property. A partial channel reciprocity (PCR) codebook scheme is proposed, which outperforms the latest codebook in 5G in terms of performance, complexity, and feedback requirements. Simulations with practical channel models demonstrate the significant gains and practicality of the proposed methods for 5G and beyond.