Low peak-to-average power ratio for next generation cellular systems with generalized frequency division multiplexing

With the Internet of Things on the horizon, novel services will impose new challenges upon future cellular systems. One key parameter that influences the energy efficiency is peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). PAPR is particularly revelant for cheap mass market terminals. In the most recent cellular standard, Long Term Evolution, different waveforms are used in downlink and uplink transmission, to address the issue of nonlinear distortions as a consequence of high PAPR. In this work, generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM) is explored as a possible, non-orthogonal waveform for next generation cellular systems. Particular focus lies on the PAPR properties of the generated waveform. First, various filtered multi-carrier techniques, including OFDM, SC-FDE and GFDM, are presented in an unified framework. Second, the PAPR of those schemes is compared in an uplink multiple access scenario. The results show that a non-orthogonal waveform brings additional degrees of freedom, which can be beneficial.