A closed-form approximation of correlated multiuser MIMO ergodic capacity with antenna selection and imperfect channel estimation

Abstract—Antenna selection (AS) is a promising technology to substantially reduce the complexity of massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems. However, spatial correlation and imperfect estimation of channel state information (CSI) are well known to have a direct impact on the capacity of feasible MIMO schemes. In this paper, a tight closed-form approximation of the ergodic capacity for correlated Rayleigh fading multiuser MIMO channels with receive AS and imperfect CSI is presented. The derived expression takes into account the spatial correlation at both link sides and channel estimation error at the receiver. It can be used for arbitrary numbers of users, antennas, and receive RF chains. Furthermore, a concise analytical capacity formula is derived in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) region. Numerical results validate the accuracy of our closed-form expressions over different channel conditions and SNRs. The new capacity approximation extends the state-of-the-art and enables efficient performance evaluation of varied multiantenna applications including massive MIMO for 5G systems.