Waveform Design for 5G Networks: Analysis and Comparison

The next-generation cellular network is to provide a large variety of services for different kinds of terminals, from traditional voice and data services over mobile phones to small packet transmission over massive machine-type terminals. Although orthogonal-subcarrier-based waveforms are widely used nowadays in many practical systems, they can hardly meet the requirements in the coming 5G networks. Therefore, more flexible waveforms have been proposed to address the unprecedented challenges. In this paper, we will provide comprehensive analysis and comparison for typical waveforms. To offer an insightful analysis, we will not only introduce the basic principles of the waveforms, but also reveal the underlying characteristics. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison in terms of different performance metrics will also be presented in thispaper, which provides an overall understanding of the new waveforms.