What’s in a Name? An Analysis of the True Meaning of MIMO and Beamforming

IEEE 802.11n and LTE made the term MIMO common place in technical literature. The 5G New Radio (NR) is doing the same for the concepts of phased arrays and beam forming. However, in both cases the terms are often used imprecisely at best. At a minimum, this can cause confusion between readers with different specializations, but can also result in arguments and frustration when specific terms are used loosely. This paper will investigate the meaning and background of these and other related terms and how they apply to today’s emerging radio technologies.