Impact of Channel Estimation Error on LTE-Advanced Uplink Using CoMP Joint Reception in a Heterogeneous Network

In this paper, we investigate the impact of channel estimation error on LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) uplink using coordinated multipoint (CoMP) joint reception (JR) in a heterogeneous network (HetNet). The uplink CoMP capacity in bits/sec/Hz/m2 in principle increases in proportional to the number/density of CoMP reception points (RPs). However, the data capacity is limited due to reference signal (RS) capacity for channel estimation in practical situations. In this paper, we model channel estimation error of LTE-A uplink assuming the use of de-modulation RS (DMRS) introduced in LTE-A with taking into account the property of DMRS. System-level simulation is carried out to evaluate the impact of channel estimation error on CoMP operation.