Impact of Channel Models on Adaptive M-QAM Modulation for MIMO Systems

In this paper, we examine an adaptively modulated Open Loop MIMO (OL-MIMO) system that uses a modified V-BLAST transmission technique with limited feedback and a Closed Loop MIMO system (CL-MIMO) that employs a waterfilling strategy. The performance of these systems are evaluated using measured MIMO channel matrices and compared with the performance predicted by two analytical models, a link-end correlation-based model known as the Kronecker model and an eigen-based model developed by Weicheselberger [1]. Results show that the Weichselberger model accurately predicts the average channel behavior while the Kronecker model severely underestimates the throughput of the channel at high SNRs.