Hybrid precoding for millimeter wave cellular systems with partial channel knowledge

Next-generation cellular standards may leverage the large bandwidth available at millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies to provide gigabit-per-second data rates in outdoor wireless systems. A main challenge in realizing mmWave cellular is achieving sufficient operating link margin, which is enabled via directional beamforming with large antenna arrays. Due to the high cost and power consumption of high-bandwidth mixed-signal devices, mmWave beamforming will likely include a combination of analog and digital processing. In this paper, we develop an iterative hybrid beamforming algorithm for the single user mmWave channel. The proposed algorithm accounts for the limitations of analog beamforming circuitry and assumes only partial channel knowledge at both the base and mobile stations. The precoding strategy exploits the sparse nature of the mmWave channel and uses a variant of matching pursuit to provide simple solutions to the hybrid beamforming problem. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can approach the rates achieved by unconstrained digital beamforming solutions.