FITech Multicarrier and multiantenna techniques

The course focuses on multicarrier (OFDM, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, FBMC, DMT) and multiantenna/MIMO digital communication techniques, which are central ingredients in all advanced communication system developments including mobile communication systems (LTE, LTE-A, 5G), WLAN/WiFi, terrestrial TV transmission (DVB-T, etc.), and digital subscriber line modems.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student has in-depth knowledge about multicarrier and multiantenna based digital communication techniques and their applications in current and emerging broadband digital communication systems and networks. She/he is able to construct a model for an OFDM transmission link and explain its core functionalities. He/she has also good understanding of different multiantenna transmission schemes and their applicability and benefits in different radio communication scenarios.

BASICS OF MULTICARRIER MODULATION:

• OFDM principles
• Effect and purpose of CP
• Multipath channel effects and equalization
• Peak-to-average power ratio problem and mitigation methods

SYNCHRONIZATION AND CHANNEL ESTIMATION:

• Effects of timing and frequency offsets
• Phase noise effects
• Pilot based and data aided channel estimation
• Basic schmes for frequency synchronization
• Basic schemes for symbol synchronization

MULTIPLE ACCESS:

• OFDMA
• SC-FDMA, DFT-spread OFDM and frequency-domain equalization in single-carrier transmission

OFDM APPLICATIONS:

• 3GPP-LTE/LTE-Advanced
• 5G New Radio
• WLAN: 802.11a/g/n/ac/ax/ay/…
• Digital broadcasting: DVB-T -family
• Power-line communications (PLC)

DIVERSITY:

• Forms of diversity (time, frequency, space)
• Diversity combining methods and resulting performance
• Outage probability

MULTIANTENNA/MIMO TECHNIQUES:

• Receiver antenna diversity
• Basics of space-time coding
• Beamforming
• Spatial multiplexing;
• Open-loop and closed-loop MIMO techniques

ADVANCED ELEMENTS

• Adaptive bit-loading, waterfilling principle
• Adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) schemes
• Diversity vs. AMC methods in system level considerations
• Improved channel estimation & synchronization techniques
• Multicarrier CDMA

ENHANCED SPECTRUM LOCALIZATION:

• OFDM sidelobe suppression methods
• Filtered OFDM
• Filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) techniques and waveforms

Basics of communications engineering