A Preliminary Study on Waveform Candidates for 5G Mobile Radio Communications above 6 GHz

This paper provides an overview and preliminary comparison of several multi-carrier and single-carrier waveforms that are potential candidates for future 5G mobile radio communications above 6 GHz. The waveforms are assessed primarily based on the established and known results as well as recent findings keeping in view the design requirements that are relevant to using frequencies above 6 GHz, especially the millimeter wave frequencies. The Key Performance Indicators and degrees of freedom in the design of different waveforms and their potential applications for mm-wave communications are discussed. Certain features that are particularly interesting for mm-wave communication and require further investigations are also highlighted. Furthermore, a common framework for synthesizing different waveform candidates has been developed. Finally, a preliminary qualitative comparison of different multi-carrier and single carrier waveforms has been derived.