Hybrid Beamforming for 5G and Beyond Millimeter-Wave Systems: A Holistic View

Abstract

Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) communication is a key technology for future wireless networks. To combat significant path loss and exploit the abundant mm-wave spectrum, effective beamforming is crucial. Nevertheless, conventional fully digital beamforming techniques are inapplicable, as they demand a separate radio frequency (RF) chain for each antenna element, which is costly and consumes too much energy. Hybrid beamforming is a cost-effective alternative, which can significantly reduce the hardware cost and power consumption by employing a small number of RF chains. This paper presents a holistic view on hybrid beamforming for 5G and beyond mm-wave systems, based on a new taxonomy for different hardware structures. We take a pragmatic approach and compare different proposals from three key aspects: 1) hardware efficiency, i.e., the required hardware components; 2) computational efficiency of the associated beamforming algorithm; and 3) achievable spectral efficiency, a main performance indicator. Through systematic comparisons, the interplay and trade-off among these three design aspects are demonstrated, and promising candidates for hybrid beamforming in future wireless networks are identified.

arXiv comment14 pages, 10 figures, invited paper submitted to IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society (OJ-COMS)

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