On the Potential of OFDM Enhancements as 5G Waveforms

The ideal radio waveform for an upcoming 5th Generation (5G) radio access technology should cope with a set of requirements such as limited complexity, good time/frequency localization and simple extension to multi-antenna technologies. This paper discusses the suitability of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and its recently proposed enhancements as 5G waveforms, mainly focusing on their capability to cope with our requirements. Significant focus is given to the novel zero-tail paradigm, which allows boosting the OFDM flexibility while circumventing demerits such as poor spectral containment and sensitivity to hardware impairments.