Frequency Offset Estimation for IFDMA Uplink Systems

This paper proposes two frequency offset estimation algorithms for the uplink of an Interleaved Frequency-Division Multiple-Access (IFDMA) system. One algorithm performs estimation in the frequency domain and the other in the time domain. Both algorithms are based on the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) principle and use knowledge about pilot symbols. IFDMA utilizes a block-interleaved frequency allocation scheme to exploit the frequency diversity of the channel. In the presence of frequency offsets between users, multiple-access interference (MAI) appears, which has a negative impact on existing frequency offset estimation algorithms. The proposed algorithms are robust, since a special construction of pilot symbols allows to exclude a large amount of MAI in the presence of frequency offsets between users. As a result, the proposed time domain frequency estimation algorithm outperforms the frequency domain algorithm and all other known schemes.