Spatial array processing in a 3D multiuser network

The performances of spatial array processing algorithms along with three-dimensional (3D) antenna arrays are studied in this paper. Optimal linear beamforming is compared to codebook based processing. The elevation domain is further utilized when applying separate weighting vectors for the azimuth and elevation dimensions. The theoretical capacities of the beamforming systems with different antenna arrays are compared. Simulations are performed with the latest 3D channel models in a multiuser network. The best performance is obtained with the horizontal uniform linear arrays (ULA) when optimal beamforming is used. However, the performances of ULA and uniform planar array (UPA) are similar when codebook based beamforming is employed.