MIMO Satellite Communication Systems: A Survey From the PHY Layer Perspective

Abstract

The satellite communications (SatCom) system is a representative technology for global coverage and seamless communications in next-generation communication systems. This paper is a survey of basic studies and recent research trends for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) SatCom. Specifically, we describe and provide the differences between terrestrial networks and SatCom. Furthermore, we categorize the scenarios mainly considered in the MIMO SatCom systems and major research topics in those scenarios. We also summarize the most important technical issues currently being researched in MIMO SatCom systems, and list future works to be studied based on this. This survey is recommended for researchers who are starting research on SatCom systems or those who wish to understand the research trends associated with MIMO SatCom systems.