Towards GFDM for Handsets - Efficient and Scalable Implementation on a Vector DSP

Generalised frequency division multiplexing (GFDM) is a novel multicarrier waveform with reduced out- of-band emission and peak-to-average-power-ratio compared to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. Due to these properties, GFDM is regarded a candidate waveform for future wireless communication. However, an implementation that addresses operating conditions of handheld devices has not yet been considered. We propose a software programmable GFDM solution for handheld devices. This paper presents necessary capabilities of a vector DSP implementation to efficiently process GFDM in the context of 5G use cases. We investigate structural properties and numerical precision of the GFDM algorithm, propose a scalable vectorised approach for single instruction multiple data processing, and carry out a performance-cost evaluation. We present our key findings to enable GFDM functionality on handheld user equipment.