Multi-Stage Localization for Massive MIMO 5G Systems

Localization is a key component of 5G systems because of its obvious potentials for communication performance enhancement and emerging location-based services. In this paper, we propose a new localization technique that reduces the complexity of the problem by minimizing the search space through multi-stage processing. The localization is here based on Angle of Arrival (AoA) whose estimation involves a two-step procedure, where signals detected from different antennas are first processed to obtain a coarse user’ s AoA, followed by a fine search performed around the coarse estimate. The user’ s position is then calculated based on the estimates of the AoA and the distance to the User Equipment (UE). Our approach exploits the capability of oriented beamforming to provide accurate position estimate especially for very low Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR).