  In this paper, we develop a low-complexity channel estimation for hybrid
millimeter wave (mmWave) systems, where the number of radio frequency (RF)
chains is much less than the number of antennas equipped at each transceiver.
The proposed channel estimation algorithm aims to estimate the strongest
angle-of-arrivals (AoAs) at both the base station (BS) and the users. Then all
the users transmit orthogonal pilot symbols to the BS via these estimated
strongest AoAs to facilitate the channel estimation. The algorithm does not
require any explicit channel state information (CSI) feedback from the users
and the associated signalling overhead of the algorithm is only proportional to
the number of users, which is significantly less compared to various existing
schemes. Besides, the proposed algorithm is applicable to both non-sparse and
sparse mmWave channel environments. Based on the estimated CSI, zero-forcing
(ZF) precoding is adopted for multiuser downlink transmission. In addition, we
derive a tight achievable rate upper bound of the system. Our analytical and
simulation results show that the proposed scheme offer a considerable
achievable rate gain compared to fully digital systems, where the number of RF
chains equipped at each transceiver is equal to the number of antennas.
Furthermore, the achievable rate performance gap between the considered hybrid
mmWave systems and the fully digital system is characterized, which provides
useful system design insights.
