Smart Small Cell with Hybrid Beamforming for 5G: Theoretical Feasibility and Prototype Results

In this article, we present a real-time three dimensional (3D) hybrid beamforming for fifth generation (5G) wireless networks. One of the key concepts in 5G cellular systems is the small cell network, which settles the high mobile traffic demand and provides uniform user-experienced data rates. The overall capacity of the small cell network can be enhanced with the enabling technology of 3D hybrid beamforming. This study validates the feasibility of the 3D hybrid beamforming, mostly for link-level performances, through the implementation of a realtime testbed using a software-defined radio (SDR) platform and fabricated antenna array. Based on the measured data, we also investigate system-level performances to verify the gain of the proposed smart small cell system over long term evolution (LTE) systems by performing system-level simulations based on a 3D ray-tracing tool.