Abstract: In this article, we present a real-time three-dimensional (3D) hybrid beam forming for ?fth generation (5G) wireless networks. One of the key concepts in 5G cellular systems is the small cell network, which settles the high mobile traf?c demand and provides uniform user-experienced data rates. The overall capacity of the small cell network can be enhanced with the enabling technology of 3D hybrid beam forming. This study validates the feasibility of the 3D hybrid beam forming, mostly for link-level performances, through the implementation of a real-time tested using a software-de?ned radio (SDR) platform and fabricated antenna array. Based on the measured data, we also investigate system-level performances to verify the gain of the proposed smart small cell system over long term evolution (LTE) systems by performing system-level simulations based on a 3D ray-tracing tool.

Keywords: Small cell, three-dimensional (3D) hybrid beam forming, ?fth generation (5G) communications.