Lightweight Convolutional Neural Networks for CSI Feedback in Massive MIMO

In frequency division duplex mode of massive multiple-input multiple-output systems, the downlink channel state information (CSI) must be sent to the base station (BS) through a feedback link. However, transmitting CSI to the BS is costly due to the bandwidth limitation of the feedback link. Deep learning (DL) has recently achieved remarkable success in CSI feedback. Realizing high-performance and low-complexity CSI feedback is a challenge in DL-based communication. We develop a DL-based CSI feedback network in this study to complete the feedback of CSI effectively. However, this network cannot be effectively applied to the mobile terminal due to its excessive number of parameters and high computational complexity. Therefore, we further propose a new lightweight CSI feedback network based on the developed network. Simulation results show that the proposed CSI network maintains a few parameters and parameter complexity while exhibiting better reconstruction performance than existing works. These findings suggest the feasibility and potential of the proposed techniques.