Effect of exponential correlation model on channel estimation for massive MIMO

In this paper the impact of exponential correlation model on massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) channel estimation is analyzed using a large number of antennas in the base station (BS) and a user terminal. We consider pilot-based channel estimation in the UL channel. The Linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) estimator is used to investigate the effect of correlation factor on the average mean square error (MSE). Different number of antennas and several signal to noise ratio (SNR) values are implemented to see the estimation accuracy in each case. The effect of pilot length on the LMMSE channel estimator and its relationship with the exponential correlation model is investigated. It is shown that for low SNR values, the exponential correlation model has high impact on channel estimation.