Method and apparatus for combining space-frequency block coding spatial multiplexing and beamforming in a MIMO-OFDM system

1. A transmitting device comprising:

a circuit configured to transmit first data symbols using a first group of orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) subcarriers using space frequency block coding (SFBC); wherein each pair of the first data symbols are SFBC coded to be transmitted on two of four antennas and not over the other two of the four antennas; and

the circuit is further configured to receive channel state information (CSI) from a receiving device; wherein the CSI includes for each of a plurality of groups of subcarriers, a channel quality information (CQI) for each of the plurality of groups of subcarriers; wherein the circuit is further configured for each of the plurality of groups of subcarriers, to determine a number of streams for transmission using multiple input multiple output (MIMO) spatial multiplexing and a modulation and coding for each group of the plurality of groups of subcarriers in response to the CQI for each group of the plurality of groups of subcarriers; wherein at least two of the plurality of groups have different number of streams and different modulation and coding schemes; wherein the circuit is configured to transmit second data symbols using the plurality of groups having the determined respective number of streams using MIMO spatial multiplexing.

2. A method for use by a transmitting device, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the transmitting device, first data symbols using a first group of orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) subcarriers using space frequency block coding (SFBC); wherein each pair of the first data symbols are SFBC coded to be transmitted on two of four antennas and not over the other two of the four antennas; and

receiving, by the transmitting device, channel state information (CSI) from a receiving device; wherein the CSI includes for each of a plurality of groups of subcarriers, a channel quality information (CQI) for each of the plurality of groups of subcarriers; wherein for each of the plurality of groups of subcarriers, to determine a number of streams for transmission using multiple input multiple output (MIMO) spatial multiplexing and a modulation and coding for each group of the plurality of groups of subcarriers in response to the CQI for that group; wherein at least two of the plurality of groups have different number of streams and different modulation and coding schemes; and

transmitting, by the transmitting device, second data symbols using the plurality of groups having the determined respective number of streams using MIMO spatial multiplexing.

3. A receiving device comprising:

a circuit configured to receive at least one of first data symbols and second data symbols from a transmitting device and to recover data from the at least one first data symbols and second data symbols;

wherein the first data symbols were transmitted using a first group of orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) subcarriers using space frequency block coding (SFBC); wherein each pair of the first data symbols are SFBC coded to be transmitted on two of four antennas and not over the other two of the four antennas;

the circuit is configured to transmit to the transmitting device channel state information (CSI); wherein the CSI includes for each of a plurality of groups of subcarriers, a channel quality information (CQI) for each of the plurality of groups of subcarriers; wherein the circuit is further configured for each of the plurality of groups of subcarriers, to determine a number of streams for transmission using multiple input multiple output (MIMO) spatial multiplexing and a modulation and coding for each of the plurality of groups of subcarriers; wherein at least two of the plurality of groups have different number of streams and different modulation and coding schemes; and

wherein the second data symbols were transmitted using the plurality of groups having the determined respective number of streams using multiple input multiple output (MIMO) spatial multiplexing.