Performance Analysis of Large Aperture mMIMO UCCA Arrays in a 5G User Dense Network

The fifth generation (5G) wireless network signals suffer from significant path loss due to the use of higher frequencies in Sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave (mmWave) bands. Inter-user interference in an ultra-dense network offers additional challenges to provide a high data rate. Therefore, it is desirable to generate narrow beams to extend the coverage of a 5G network by increasing antenna gain, and improve its capacity/data rate by reducing inter-user interference. Unlike the conventional massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) rectangular planar antenna array, an mMIMO uniform concentric circular antenna (UCCA) array with a larger inter-ring spacing (i.e., inter-ring spacing> ⋋/2) is capable of generating a significantly narrow beam with a moderate side-lobe level while utilizing the same number of antennas. This fact leads us to investigate the use of large aperture mMIMO UCCA arrays in a 5G user-dense network in order to improve its performance.