Single-carrier FDMA

Single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) is a frequency-division multiple access scheme. Originally known as Carrier Interferometry, it is also called linearly precoded OFDMA (LP-OFDMA). Like other multiple access schemes (TDMA, FDMA, CDMA, OFDMA), it deals with the assignment of multiple users to a shared communication resource. SC-FDMA can be interpreted as a linearly precoded OFDMA scheme, in the sense that it has an additional DFT processing step preceding the conventional OFDMA processing.

SC-FDMA has drawn great attention as an attractive alternative to OFDMA, especially in the uplink communications where lower peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) greatly benefits the mobile terminal in terms of transmit power efficiency and reduced cost of the power amplifier. This is where SC-FDMA gets its name from: it's an OFDM signal that mimics the characteristics of a single-carrier QAM signal.^[1] It has been adopted as the uplink multiple access scheme in 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), or Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA).^[2]^[3]^[4]

The performance of SC-FDMA in relation to OFDMA has been the subject of various studies.^[5]^[6]^[7] Although the performance gap is small, SC-FDMA's advantage of low PAPR makes it desirable for uplink wireless transmission in mobile communication systems, where transmitter power efficiency is of paramount importance.

^ "SC-FDMA vs. OFDM Modulation - MATLAB & Simulink". www.mathworks.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
^ Myung, Hyung; Lim, Junsung; Goodman, David (2006). "Single carrier FDMA for uplink wireless transmission" (PDF). IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine. 1 (3): 30–38. doi:10.1109/MVT.2006.307304. S2CID 12743526.
^ Ekstrom, H.; Furuskar, A.; Karlsson, J.; Meyer, M.; Parkvall, S.; Torsner, J.; Wahlqvist, M. (2006). "Technical solutions for the 3G long-term evolution". IEEE Communications Magazine. 44 (3): 38–45. doi:10.1109/MCOM.2006.1607864. S2CID 1168131.
^ "Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Physical Layer Aspects for Evolved UTRA". 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
^ Nisar, Muhammad Danish; Nottensteiner, Hans; Hindelang, Thomas (2007). "On Performance Limits of DFT Spread OFDM Systems". 2007 16th IST Mobile and Wireless Communications Summit (PDF). pp. 1–4. doi:10.1109/ISTMWC.2007.4299159. ISBN 978-1-4244-1662-2. S2CID 6077115.
^ Priyanto, Basuki E.; Codina, Humbert; Rene, Sergi; Sorensen, Troels B.; Mogensen, Preben (2007). "Initial Performance Evaluation of DFT-Spread OFDM Based SC-FDMA for UTRA LTE Uplink". 2007 IEEE 65th Vehicular Technology Conference - VTC2007-Spring. pp. 3175–3179. doi:10.1109/VETECS.2007.650. ISBN 978-1-4244-0266-3. S2CID 206836778.
^ Benvenuto, N.; Tomasin, S. (2002). "On the comparison between OFDM and single carrier modulation with a DFE using a frequency-domain feedforward filter". IEEE Transactions on Communications. 50 (6): 947–955. doi:10.1109/TCOMM.2002.1010614.

[1] "SC-FDMA vs. OFDM Modulation - MATLAB & Simulink". www.mathworks.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.

[2] Myung, Hyung; Lim, Junsung; Goodman, David (2006). "Single carrier FDMA for uplink wireless transmission" (PDF). IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine. 1 (3): 30–38. doi:10.1109/MVT.2006.307304. S2CID 12743526.

[3] Ekstrom, H.; Furuskar, A.; Karlsson, J.; Meyer, M.; Parkvall, S.; Torsner, J.; Wahlqvist, M. (2006). "Technical solutions for the 3G long-term evolution". IEEE Communications Magazine. 44 (3): 38–45. doi:10.1109/MCOM.2006.1607864. S2CID 1168131.

[4] "Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Physical Layer Aspects for Evolved UTRA". 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[5] Nisar, Muhammad Danish; Nottensteiner, Hans; Hindelang, Thomas (2007). "On Performance Limits of DFT Spread OFDM Systems". 2007 16th IST Mobile and Wireless Communications Summit (PDF). pp. 1–4. doi:10.1109/ISTMWC.2007.4299159. ISBN 978-1-4244-1662-2. S2CID 6077115.

[6] Priyanto, Basuki E.; Codina, Humbert; Rene, Sergi; Sorensen, Troels B.; Mogensen, Preben (2007). "Initial Performance Evaluation of DFT-Spread OFDM Based SC-FDMA for UTRA LTE Uplink". 2007 IEEE 65th Vehicular Technology Conference - VTC2007-Spring. pp. 3175–3179. doi:10.1109/VETECS.2007.650. ISBN 978-1-4244-0266-3. S2CID 206836778.

[7] Benvenuto, N.; Tomasin, S. (2002). "On the comparison between OFDM and single carrier modulation with a DFE using a frequency-domain feedforward filter". IEEE Transactions on Communications. 50 (6): 947–955. doi:10.1109/TCOMM.2002.1010614.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]