FPGA implementation of an OFDM modem

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(OFDM) is a multi-carrier system where data bits are encoded to multiple sub-carriers, while being transmitted simultaneously. OFDM modulation can reduce the influence of inter-symbol interference (ISI) and enables high-quality communication, and is increasingly being used in environments that exhibit severe multipath. Although OFDM in theory has been in existence for a long time, recent developments in digital signal processing (DSP) and field programmable gate array (FPGA) technologies have made it a feasible option. In this paper, an implementation of an OFDM transceiver on FPGA by instantiating parameterizable signal processing intellectual property (IP) functions is presented. The FPGA resource requirements of the various sub-systems is reported and the design methodology employed IP design, verification and FPGA implementation is described.