Uplink Spectral Efficiency Analysis of Multi-Cell Multi-User Massive MIMO over Correlated Ricean Channel

In this paper, the performance of uplink spectral efficiency in massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) over spacially correlated Ricean fading channel is presented. The maximum ratio combining (MRC) receiver is employed at the base station (BS) for two different methods of channel estimation. The first method is based on pilot-assisted least minimum mean square error (LMMSE) estimation, the second one is based on line-of-sight (LOS) part. The respective closed-form expressions of uplink data rate are given for these two methods. Due to the existence of pilot contamination, the uplink data rate of pilot-assisted LMMSE estimation method approaches to a finite value (we name it as asymptotic rate in the paper) when the BS antenna number is very large. However, the data rate of LOS method goes linearly with the number of BS antennas. The expression of the uplink rate of LOS method also show that for Ricean channel, the spacial correlation between the BS antennas may not only decrease the rate, but also increase the rate, which depends on the locations of the users. This conclusion explains why the spacial correlation may increase, rather than decrease the data rate of pilot-assisted LMMSE. We also discuss the power scaling law of the two methods, and the asymptotic expressions of the two methods are the same and both independent of the antenna correlation. Index Terms Massive massive MIMO, pilot contamination, Ricean fading, spacial correlation, uplink rate