Statistical analysis of the Cyclic Prefix impact on indoor PLC capacity

This paper aims at presenting the impact of the cyclic prefix (CP) length on the maximal achievable throughput for multicarrier modulations used in power line communications (PLC). The maximal throughputs including the interference caused by a channel impulse response length exceeding the cyclic prefix length are calculated and compared to simulation results. The statistical distribution of the optimal cyclic prefix length is conducted using channel measurements that were carried out by Orange Labs in different residential sites. Statistical analysis helps determine the best CP lengths configurations that approach the optimal achievable throughputs.