• Proposes an analog-only beamforming (AoBF) architecture to replace hybrid beamforming, simplifying system reconfiguration and eliminating pilot overhead for near-field multiuser MIMO communications.
• Formulates AoBF design as maximizing power to the target user while minimizing leakage to other users, solved via beam focusing and beam nulling using the majorization-minimization algorithm.
• Develops two AoBF schemes: one with perfect CSI for performance benchmarking and one with imperfect CSI obtained from near-field codebook beam sweeping for practical deployment.
• Simulation results show that the proposed AoBF schemes approach HBF sum-rate performance while achieving higher energy efficiency, making them attractive for energy-constrained systems.