Abstract
A reconfigurable space-time coding technique is
investigated, for a high-speed downlink packet access
multiple-antenna network, which combats the effects of antenna correlation.
Reconfigurability is achieved at the link level by introducing a
linear precoder in a space-time block coded system. The technique
assumes knowledge of the long-term characteristics of the channel,
namely the channel correlation matrix at the transmitter. The
benefits of the proposed reconfigurable technique as compared to
the conventional non-reconfigurable versions are evaluated via
system-level simulations. In order to characterize the
system-level performance accurately and, at the same time, use a
feasible approach in terms of computational complexity, a suitable
link-to-system interface has been developed. The average system
throughput and the number of satisfied users are the performance
metrics of interest. Simulation results demonstrate the
performance enhancements achieved by the application of
reconfigurable techniques as compared to their conventional
counterparts.