Wireless communication using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems enables increased achievable spectral efficiency and reliability for a given total transmit power. The increased capacity is achieved through the introduction of antenna arrays at both the transmitter and receiver. These arrays are used to take advantage of the multiple spatial modes provided by complicated multipath environments. Actual link performance is sensitive to a particular channel environment, receiver approach, and space-time code. Environmental characteristics include channel spatial correlation and external interference. Because of computational complexity, suboptimal receivers are often employed in real systems. Space-time coding describes the mapping from information bits to the transmitted waveforms employed by MIMO systems.
In this talk, a number of MIMO wireless communication topics are discussed. An introduction to MIMO communication is provided. Sensitivity of theoretical capacity to environmental factors is considered. These factors include channel complexity and external interference. Channel phenomenology and its effect on capacity is investigated using parametric models, asymptotic calculations, and experimental data. A theoretical performance comparison of various receiver approaches is presented. Experimental performance results for a space-time turbo coding technique are presented as a function of channel characteristics and receiver design.