Abstract: Base stations for MIMO wireless systems embodying efficient channel estimation techniques. One illustrative embodiment includes: an array of multiple antennas to exchange uplink and downlink signals with spatially-distributed user terminals; multiple transmit chains, each coupled to one of the multiple antennas by a respective transceiver that also couples that antenna to a respective one of multiple receive chains; and a controller. Each of the receive chains opportunistically derives estimated uplink channel response coefficients from packet headers in the wireless uplink signals, and the controller determines a steering transform based at least in part on the estimated channel response coefficients. The transmit chains apply the steering transform to spatially-distinct downlink signals to produce antenna-specific downlink signals for each antenna in the array.

Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include methods for control channel design in many-antenna multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems. A beacon comprising an identifier of a many-antenna base station is encoded into a base sequence. A plurality of synchronization sequences is generated based on the encoded base sequence and a set of orthogonal beam sequences. The many-antenna base-station transmits, using a plurality of antennas, the plurality of synchronization sequences in a plurality of beam directions associated with the set of orthogonal beam sequences for synchronization and associated with users without knowledge of channel state information (CSI).

Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include methods for control channel design in many-antenna multi-user (MU) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems. A beacon comprising an identifier of a many-antenna base station is encoded into a base sequence. A plurality of synchronization sequences is generated based on the encoded base sequence and a set of orthogonal beam sequences. The many-antenna base-station transmits, using a plurality of antennas, the plurality of synchronization sequences in a plurality of beam directions associated with the set of orthogonal beam sequences for synchronization and associated with users without knowledge of channel state information (CSI).

Abstract: Base stations for MIMO wireless systems embodying efficient channel estimation techniques. One illustrative embodiment includes: an array of multiple antennas to exchange uplink and downlink signals with spatially-distributed user terminals; multiple transmit chains, each coupled to one of the multiple antennas by a respective transceiver that also couples that antenna to a respective one of multiple receive chains; and a controller. Each of the receive chains opportunistically derives estimated uplink channel response coefficients from packet headers in the wireless uplink signals, and the controller determines a steering transform based at least in part on the estimated channel response coefficients. The transmit chains apply the steering transform to spatially-distinct downlink signals to produce antenna-specific downlink signals for each antenna in the array.

Abstract: A network element (400) can receive (101) (from an end user (404) and via a data network (403)) a message as regards an aggregation of multiple different renderable content items. By one approach this message comprises, at least in part, selection criteria as have been selected by the end user. This network element can then automatically use (102) this selection criteria to select a plurality of specific renderable content items from amongst a plurality of candidate different renderable content items. These teachings will then support automatically combining (103) the plurality of specific renderable content items to form the requested aggregation of multiple different renderable content items.