Transparent Tx and Rx Waveform Processing for 5G New Radio Mobile Communications

TL;DR

This paper introduces a flexible framework for independently optimizing and mixing waveform processing techniques in 5G NR, enhancing coexistence, standardization, and future evolution of physical layer hardware and algorithms.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach for transparent transmitter and receiver waveform processing, enabling independent optimization and mixing of techniques in 5G NR systems.

Findings

Flexible mixing of waveform processing techniques is feasible.

Independent optimization improves complexity-performance trade-offs.

The approach simplifies standardization and future-proofing.

Abstract

Several different waveform processing techniques have been studied and proposed for the 5G new radio (NR) physical layer, to support new mixed numerology and asynchronous services. The evaluation and comparison of these different techniques is commonly based on matched waveform processing in the transmitter and receiver units. In this article, it is shown that different techniques can be flexibly mixed, allowing to separately optimize complexity-performance trade-offs for transmitter and receiver implementations. Mixing of different waveform processing techniques is possible by setting adequate requirements for transmitter and receiver baseband processing allowing transparent design. The basic framework of how transmitter and receiver units can be independently applied and evaluated in the context of transparent design and an extensive set of examples of the achievable radio link performance with unmatched transmitter and receiver waveform processing are provided. The discussed approach and solutions simplify standardization, improve transparent transmitter and receiver coexistence, and allow future-proof evolution path for performance improvements in 5G NR physical layer hardware and algorithm design.