Iterative Multiuser Detection and Channel Estimation in a Multibeam Satellite Communication System

This paper deals with the use of non-linear multiuser detection techniques to mitigate co-channel interference on the reverse link of multibeam satellite systems. The considered system is inspired by the DVB-RCS standard, with the use of convolutional coding. The proposed scheme consists of an iterative parallel interference cancellation algorithm with semiblind channel estimation. The main contributions of this paper are the assumption of unknown beamformer coefficients for the receiver design, the introduction a low complexity scheme for a symbol asynchronous channel, and sensitivity evaluations with imperfect timing recoveries or reduced frequency offsets. The proposed algorithm allows close to single user performance on configurations characterized by very low C/I.