Massive MIMO location for 5G networks, MassLOC

Research Project, 2017 – 2019

Next generation 5G wireless data networks promise significant gains in jterms of offering the ability to accommodate more users at higher data rates with better reliability while consuming less power. To meet such as challange, massive MIMO systems have been proposed to allow for orders of magnitude improvement in spectral and enegry efficiency using relatively simple processing. The basic ideas is equipping cellular base stations with rectangular arrays, each of them is consisted of very lagre number of antennas. Teh lkextra antennas help focusing energy into lever smaller regions of space to bring huge improvements in throughput and radiated energy efficiency. Other benefits include reduced latency, simplification of the media access control layer, and robustness aganist intentional jamming.

An unexplored and unintentional side-effect of using a very large number of antennas combined with high carrier frequencies, is the ability to pinpoint the location of the user with high accuracy. This project aims to develop several analytical tools in order to model, design, and analyze massive MIMO-OFDM systems from the localization point of view, and ascertain validity via experimental datasets. Ultimately, our broad goal is to conceptualize an engineering research idea, and then transition it into innovative applications that can be replicated for real-world cellular networks operated by established service providers and mobile manufactures. In parallel, the project will allow the fellow to achive several knowledge transfer objectives and increase prominence in his research field.