Scalable, Decentralised and Distributed Massive MIMO for Massive Wireless Connectivity

In cellular networks, both the mobile wireless spectrum and the connection from the base station to the backhaul are shared between hundreds of clients in a cell. This approach can never be scalable or spectrally efficient. Cellular roll-outs to remote areas will normally be uneconomical: especially in developing countries. If our aim is to bring broadband to the unconnected who are living in regional / remote areas, then a different approach is required. We propose a novel wireless access network based on a scalable, distributed and decentralised massive MIMO architecture. This network can be deployed cost-effectively by successively connecting base stations to a broadband IP point-of-interconnect as clients are added to the network. Long range links requiring sub-GHz bands can be economically deployed and can provide each client with full access to the wireless spectrum and a dedicated connection to the backhaul. Given the increasing numbers of urban and regional townships connected to fibre, such an approach could empower local communities to wirelessly extend their networks to isolated populations.