Performance analysis of PRS-based synchronization algorithms for LTE positioning applications

Among the user equipment (UE) assisted position applications in Long Term Evolution (LTE), the observed time-difference of arrival (OTDOA) method which uses measurements reported by the UE physical layer provides the highest precision. The UE measurement task is based on dedicated positioning pilot signals and translates to a time synchronization problem, which is the focus of this paper work. Our analysis comprises the illustration of the proposed synchronization algorithm, its performance benchmarking in AWGN and multipath channels, the derivation of theoretical bounds and simulation results in a realistic LTE cellular scenario.