Real-Time Implementation and Experimental Validation of a DL FBMC System

To assess the implementation feasibility and provide a practical experimental validation of the filterbank multicarrier (FBMC) scheme proposed in the EMPhAtiC project, a real-time hardware demonstrator was developed using two complementary software-defined radio (SDR) design methodologies. The spectral shape and spectral contention of the EMPhAtiC FBMC waveform makes it a prime candidate for a number of cases where agile wireless communications are required. Exploiting unused or underutilized fragmented spectrum in sub-6-GHz licensed bands without provoking interference to other inband or adjacent transmissions is the case of interest covered in this chapter. In particular, the focus is set on radio bands below 1 GHz featuring rich signal propagation characteristics. The introduction of new multicarrier waveforms and efficient cohabitation of the radio spectrum below 6 GHz are considered key enablers of fifth-generation (5G) wireless access communications.