High-Rate Space-Time Coded Large MIMO Systems: Low-Complexity Detection and Performance

Large MIMO systems with tens of antennas in each communication terminal using full-rate non-orthogonal Space-Time Block Codes (STBC) from Cyclic Division Algebras (CDA) can achieve the benefits of both transmit diversity as well as high spectral efficiencies. Maximum-Likelihood (ML) or near-ML decoding of these large-sized STBCs at low complexities, however, has been a challenge. In this paper, the authors establish that near-ML decoding of these large STBCs is possible at practically affordable low complexities. Such low-complexity detectors can potentially enable implementation of high spectral efficiency large MIMO systems that could be considered in wireless standards.