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'Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access' ('OFDMA') is a multi-user version of the popular OFDM digital modulation scheme. Multiple access is achieved in OFDMA by assigning subsets of subcarriers to individual users as shown in the figure below. This allows simultaneous low data rate transmission from several users.
Based on feedback information about the channel conditions, adaptive user-to-subcarrier assignment can be achieved. If the assignment is done sufficiently fast, this further improves the OFDM robustness to fast fading and narrow-band cochannel interference, and makes it possible to achieve even better system spectral efficiency.
Different number of sub-carriers can be assigned to different users, in view to support differentiated Quality of Service (QoS), i.e. to control the data rate and error probability individually for each user.
OFDMA resembles code division multiple access (CDMA) spread spectrum, where users can achieve different data rates by assigning a different code spreading factor or a different number of spreading codes to each user.
OFDMA can also be seen as an alternative to combining OFDM with time division multiple access (TDMA) or time-domain statistical multiplexing, i.e. packet mode communication. Low datarate users can send continuously with low transmission power instead of using a "pulsed" high-power carrier. Constant delay, and shorter delay, can be achieved.
However, OFDMA can also be described as a combination of frequency domain and time domain multiple access, where the resources are partitioned in the time-frequency space, and slots are assigned along the OFDM symbol index as well as OFDM sub-carrier index.

Contents

Key features

Advantages over CDMA

Advantages over OFDM with time-domain statistical multiplexing

Disadvantages

Usage

See Also

References

Links

External links

Key features

See also the list of OFDM Key features.

Advantages over CDMA

★ OFDM can combat multipath with less complexity.

★ OFDMA can achieve higher spectral efficiency.

Advantages over OFDM with time-domain statistical multiplexing

★ Allows simultaneous low datarate transmission from several users.

★ Pulsed carrier can be avoided.

★ Lower maximum transmission power for low data rate users.

★ Shorter delay, and constant delay.

★ Contention based multiple access (collision avoidance) is simplified.

★ Further improves OFDM robustness to fading and interference.

Disadvantages

★ Asynchronous data communication services such as web access are characterized by short communication bursts at high data rate. Few users in a base station cell are transferring data simultaneously at low constant data rate.

★ The complex OFDM electronics, including the FFT algorithm and forward error correction, is constantly active independent on the data rate, which is inefficient from power consumption point of view, while OFDM combined with data packet scheduling may allow that the FFT algorithm hibernates during certain time intervals.

★ The OFDM diversity gain, and resistance to frequency-selective fading, may partly be lost if very few sub-carriers are assigned to each user, and if the same carrier is used in every OFDM symbol. Adaptive sub-carrier assignment based on fast feedback information about the channel, or sub-carrier frequency hopping, is therefore desirable.

★ Dealing with co-channel interference from nearby cells is more complex in OFDM than in CDMA. It would require dynamic channel allocation with advanced coordination among adjacent base stations.

★ The fast channel feedback information and adaptive sub-carrier assignment is more complex than CDMA fast power control.

Usage

OFDMA is used in the mobility mode of IEEE 802.16 WirelessMAN Air Interface standard, commonly referred to as WiMAX.
OFDMA is currently a working assumption in 3GPP Long Term Evolution downlink, named High Speed OFDM Packet Access (HSOPA).
Also, OFDMA is the candidate access method for the IEEE 802.22 "Wireless Regional Area Networks". The project aims at designing the first cognitive radio based standard operating in the VHF-low UHF spectrum (TV spectrum).
The term "OFDMA" is claimed to be a registered trademark by [1]Runcom Technologies Ltd., with various other claimants to the underlying technologies through patents.

See Also

★ Code division multiple access

★ Frequency-division multiple access

★ Time division multiple access

★ WiMax

★ Wibro

References

★ K. Fazel and S. Kaiser, ''Multi-Carrier and Spread Spectrum Systems'', John Wiley & Sons, 2003, ISBN 0-470-84899-5

Links

★ 3GPP Long Term Evolution

★ Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)

External links

★ [2] for more details on OFDM

★ [3] for more details on FFT and IFFT.