Blind Carrier Frequency Offset Estimation in Generalized Frequency Division Multiplexing

In generalized frequency division multiplexing (GFDM), the self-generated inter-carrier interference can be exploited to estimate the carrier frequency offset (CFO). In this paper, the state-of-the-art algorithm for the blind estimation of the CFO in GFDM is evaluated in detail. For this purpose, the corresponding theoretical model under additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel conditions is derived. Furthermore, an alternative approach to increase the accuracy of the estimation is proposed. Depending on the GFDM parameterization and channel conditions, the new method can significantly improve the mean square error (MSE) of the CFO without compromising the latency. Simulation results show that under AWGN channel conditions, a GFDM configuration with a low number of subsymbols can highly benefit from the proposed approach. In multipath fading channels, the MSE can be considerably reduced in systems with a moderate subcarrier spacing.