A performance prediction model for BIC-OFDM transmissions with AMC over nonlinear fading channels

This paper presents an accurate tool yielding a reliable prediction of the link quality for the down-link of a BIC-OFDM system featuring bandlimited pulse shaping to control spectral sidelobe emission, plus AMC, and operating over a nonlinear channel. The tool enables an effective design of the communication system, with special respect to the setting of the operating point of the transmitter´s power amplifier. First, an analytical characterization of the nonlinear distortion effects caused by the amplifier on bandlimited BIC-OFDM signals is carried out by resorting to the extended version of the Bussgang theorem. Then, the equivalent additive noise model provided by the Bussgang-based analysis is taken into account in the derivation of a novel link quality prediction method, named BκESM. Finally, the novel BκESM tool is employed in the link design phase for choosing the best amplifier setting, aimed at maximizing the layer-3 offered traffic over a realistic wireless channel, featuring both multipath propagation and nonlinear distortions.