Co-channel interference cancellation for space-time coded OFDM systems

Space-time coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a promising scheme for future wideband multimedia wireless communication systems. The combination of space-time coding (STC) and OFDM modulation promises an enhanced performance in terms of power and spectral efficiency. Such combination benefits from the diversity gain within the multiple-input-multiple-output ST coded system and the matured OFDM modulation for wideband wireless transmission. However, STC transmit diversity impairs the system's interference suppression ability due to the use of multiple transmitters at each mobile. We propose an effective co-channel interference (CCI) cancellation method that employs angle diversity based on null-steering beamforming or minimum variance distortion response beamforming. It is shown that the proposed method can effectively mitigate CCI while preserving the space-time structure, thereby, significantly improving the system's interference suppression ability without significant bit-error rate performance degradation. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the proposed method can significantly combat the delay spread detrimental effects over multipath fading channels without the use of interleaving.