Boosting the performance of wireless communication systems: theory and practice of multiple-antenna techniques

Multiple-antenna systems, denoted multiple-input multiple-output systems, promise huge performance gains over conventional single-antenna systems. Many MIMO transmission schemes proposed in the literature are, however, based on idealized assumptions. Several effects that may occur in a practical system, such as intersymbol interference, nonperfect channel knowledge, fast fading, and correlation between the individual transmission paths, significantly influence system performance. On the basis of two particularly simple but nonetheless efficient MIMO transmission schemes, the above effects are illustrated, and possible countermeasures are discussed.