Beamforming antennas that share radio ports across multiple columns

A base station antenna system comprising:

• a beamforming radio having a plurality of radio signal ports;
• an antenna array having a vertical stack of sub-arrays that each comprise a plurality of sub-columns of dual-polarized radiating elements,
• wherein a first of the radio signal ports is coupled to two sub-columns of a first of the sub-arrays, and
• wherein a second of the radio signal ports is coupled to two sub-columns of a second of the sub-arrays;
• a plurality of first phase shifters per polarization that are coupled to the first of the sub-arrays;
• and
• a plurality of second phase shifters per polarization that are coupled to the second of the sub-arrays,
• wherein the first of the radio signal ports is coupled to the two sub-columns of the first of the sub-arrays via a first of the first phase shifters, and
• wherein the second of the radio signal ports is coupled to the two sub-columns of the second of the sub-arrays via a first of the second phase shifters.

A massive MIMO base station antenna system comprising:

• an antenna array having a plurality of radiating elements;
• a beamforming radio having fewer than sixty-four radio signal ports that are coupled to the antenna array;
• and
• a coupling circuit that couples a first of the radio signal ports to at least two sub-columns of the radiating elements,
• wherein the beamforming radio comprises a 32T32R beamforming radio.

A base station antenna system comprising:

• a beamforming radio having a plurality of radio signal ports including first and second radio signal ports;
• and
• an antenna array of radiating elements having a plurality of rows of radiating elements and a plurality of columns of radiating elements including first, second, third, and fourth columns of radiating elements, wherein the second column of radiating elements is between the first and third columns of radiating elements, and wherein the third column of radiating elements is between the second and fourth columns of radiating elements,
• wherein the first radio signal port is coupled to at least one radiating element in the first column and to at least one radiating element in the third column, wherein the first radio signal port is coupled to no more than half of the radiating elements in the first column and to no more than half of the radiating elements in the third column, and wherein the first radio signal port is free of coupling with radiating elements of the second column, and
• wherein the second radio signal port is coupled to at least one radiating element in the second column and to at least one radiating element in the fourth column, and wherein the second radio signal port is coupled to no more than half of the radiating elements of the second column and to no more than half of the radiating elements of the fourth column.

A base station antenna system comprising:

• a beamforming radio having X radio signal ports;
• and
• an antenna array including Y columns of dual-polarized radiating elements,
• wherein each radio signal port is coupled to at least two and fewer than all of the columns of dual-polarized radiating elements, and wherein X<2*Y.