Semi-Blind Channel Estimation for Dynamic NTN Systems via Spiked Random Matrix Theory
Semi-blind channel estimation offers an attractive tradeoff between pilot overhead and estimation accuracy in large-scale wireless systems. However, reliable channel acquisition becomes particularly challenging in highly dynamic environments such as non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), where rapidly varying channels and high system dimensionality significantly degrade the performance of conventional covariance-based estimators due to sampling noise. In this paper, we propose a robust semi-blind channel estimation framework for multi-user uplink systems operating in NTN systems. The proposed approach introduces an optimally regularized least-squares formulation that balances training-based information and blind subspace structure. By exploiting the spiked covariance model within a random matrix theory (RMT) framework, we derive a closed-form characterization of the resulting channel mean-squared error and obtain an analytically tractable design of the optimal regularization parameter. The resulting estimator is computationally efficient and particularly well suited to high-dimensional regimes. Simulation results under realistic Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) NTN channel models demonstrate substantial performance improvements over conventional semi-blind and training-based estimators.