"Distributed massive MIMO" technology is a candidate for future "beyond 5G" and "6G" mobile networks. Theoretical models suggest that, by getting several base station transceivers, distributed across building facades or even across multiple buildings, to cooperate, the reliability and the performance of a mobile communications network can be significantly improved compared to a traditional cellular architecture. Furthermore, a network with distributed base station antennas could provide additional services such as end user localization, potentially enhancing or, in some applications, even replacing satellite-based localization systems like GPS.
At INUE, we set out to verify the assumptions derived from theoretical considerations on real-world wireless channel measurements. These measurements also allow us to test novel localization methods such as the deep learning-based Channel Charting technique. In our previous measurement campaigns, we focused on indoor factory hall environments (for industrial use cases). By deploying antennas on a rooftop, we can measure the wireless channel of a mobile network base station under realistic conditions.
