Joint Selection of OFDM Parameters in Mobile Satellite Communications

Abstract

In mobile satellite communication based on OFDM technology, the system performance can’t be optimal if the cyclic prefix (CP) length and subcarrier interval of LTE specification are transplanted into mobile satellite communication directly. In this paper, we analyze the impact of inter symbol interference (ISI) and inter carrier interference (ICI) which are caused by multipath delay spread and Doppler frequency shift separately on system capacity, and derive the optimal CP length and subcarrier interval for GEO, MEO and LEO mobile satellite communication by numeric calculation. Finally, the simulation results show that the OFDM parameters of LTE specification can be used in GEO mobile satellite communications, but cannot in MEO and LEO.