Pruned DFT-Spread FBMC: Low PAPR, Low Latency, High Spectral Efficiency

We propose a novel modulation scheme which combines the advantages of filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC)-offset quadrature amplitude modulation and single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (SC-FDMA). On the top of a conventional FBMC system, we develop a novel precoding method based on a pruned discrete Fourier transform (DFT) in combination with one-tap scaling. The proposed technique has the same peak-to-average power ratio as SC-FDMA but does not require a cyclic prefix and has much lower out-of-band emissions. Furthermore, our method restores complex orthogonality, and the ramp-up and ramp-down period of FBMC is dramatically decreased, allowing low latency transmissions. Compared to pure SC-FDMA, the computational complexity of our scheme is only two times higher. Simulations over doubly selective channels validate our claims, further supported by a downloadable MATLAB code. Note that pruned DFT-spread FBMC can equivalently be interpreted as a modified SC-FDMA transmission scheme. In particular, the requirements on the prototype filter are less strict than in conventional FBMC systems.