Efficient linear precoding for massive MIMO systems using truncated polynomial expansion

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques have been proposed as a solution to satisfy many requirements of next generation cellular systems. One downside of massive MIMO is the increased complexity of computing the precoding, especially since the relatively 'antenna-efficient' regularized zero-forcing (RZF) is preferred to simple maximum ratio transmission. We develop in this paper a new class of precoders for single-cell massive MIMO systems. It is based on truncated polynomial expansion (TPE) and mimics the advantages of RZF, while offering reduced and scalable computational complexity that can be implemented in a convenient parallel fashion. Using random matrix theory we provide a closed-form expression of the signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio under TPE precoding and compare it to previous works on RZF. Furthermore, the sum rate maximizing polynomial coefficients in TPE precoding are calculated. By simulation, we find that to maintain a fixed peruser rate loss as compared to RZF, the polynomial degree does not need to scale with the system, but it should be increased with the quality of the channel knowledge and signal-to-noise ratio. © 2014 IEEE.