5G • RAN
Hybrid Beamforming
Hybrid Analog-Digital Beamforming
Architecture combining baseband digital precoding across a few RF chains with analog phase shifters across many antenna elements.
Technical Explanation
Hybrid beamforming balances performance and power in mmWave massive MIMO. A modest number of digital RF transceiver chains (e.g. 8 to 16) perform digital baseband precoding, while each chain connects to a subarray of 32 or 64 antenna elements via analog phase shifters. This allows multi-beam multi-stream MIMO with manageable power dissipation.
Key Functions
- Combines digital baseband precoding with RF analog phase shifters
- Bridges performance gap between pure analog and full digital architectures
- Standard hardware architecture for 5G mmWave base stations and handsets
Specifications
3GPP TS 38.211, TS 38.214
Interfaces
Uu
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