Abstract

Using a large number of individual antennas can significantly increase the costs associated with power consumption, as well as the hardware and software complexity of a massive MIMO system. In this paper, we present a relatively new approach and show how a hidden gem, which is the radiating cable or leaky feeder (LF) with large number of slot antennas can be configured to perform as a massive MIMO transceiver which satisfies the requirements of 5G networks, such as increasing coverage, ultralow latency, and data throughput. The LF MIMO systems will be significantly less complex and can work up to millimeter wave bands. Additionally, the LF can adapt its transmit power based on the number of slots with perfect channel state information (CSI) or the square root of the number of slots with insufficient CSI, aiming to achieve performance comparable to an equivalent single-input single-output (SISO) system. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the LF cable as a massive MIMO system, demonstrating its modeling as both point-to-point MIMO (P2P-MIMO) and a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) system. Additionally, we evaluate key performance metrics, including bit error rate (BER), channel capacity, and energy efficiency. The findings indicate that the LF system performs effectively as a MIMO system. Notably, another significant result is that the received power of the LF in confined environments follows a α-µ distribution.

Key words: Leaky feeder; Massive MIMO; 5G; Energy efficiency; Spectral efficiency; α-μ distribution; Point-to- point system.