Minimum overhead burst synchronization for OFDM based broadband transmission

In this paper the subject of training data overhead in burst oriented transmission systems using OFDM is addressed. Previous work has shown that burst synchronization for such scenarios is possible. However, the training data needed in some cases will significantly decrease the usable bandwidth. In order to minimize overhead we analyze the impact of synchronization errors on OFDM and derive a suitable optimization criterion. A novel training data format is introduced that allows to tailor the overhead according to the actual requirements. Using theoretical analysis and simulation the training data overhead can be decreased significantly without loss in performance.