Large antenna array and propagation environment interaction

In conventional MIMO, propagation conditions are often considered wide-sense stationary over the entire antenna array. In massive MIMO systems, where arrays can span over large physical dimensions, the situation is quite different. For instance, significant variations in signal strength, due to shadowing, can be experienced across a large array. These effects vary with propagation environment in which the array is placed, and influence achievable sum-rates. We characterize these variations for several measured propagation scenarios in the 2.6 GHz frequency range and illustrate how power variations and correlation properties change along the array.