COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF 5G WAVEFORM CANDIDATES UNDER REALISTIC CHANNEL CONDITIONS
Ouardas Asma1, Lahcene Mohamed Rida2, Bendjillali Ridha Ilyas1, Mouradj Keltoum3, Bendelhoum Mohammed Sofiane1, Miloudi Fadila Amel1
1Department of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Laboratory of Electronic Systems, Telecommunications and
Renewable Energies, University Center Nour Bachir El-Bayadh, Algeria
2Department of Electrical Engineering, Laboratory of Electronic Systems, Telecommunications and Renewable Energies, Salhi Ahmed University Center of Naama, Algeria
3Department of Electrical Engineering, Tahri Mohammed University of Bechar, Algeria
Abstract: The development of 5G wireless networks necessitates the adoption of advanced waveform techniques that meet stringent performance requirements in terms of spectral efficiency, robustness, and power optimization. This paper presents a comparative performance evaluation of several prominent waveform candidates for 5G systems, including Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Filtered-OFDM (F-OFDM), Filter Bank Multicarrier (FBMC), Universal Filtered Multicarrier (UFMC), and Weighted Overlap and Add (WOLA). The assessment is based on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR), Power Spectral Density (PSD), Bit Error Rate (BER), and throughput. Simulation results under various channel conditions demonstrate that FBMC offers superior spectral efficiency and throughput, particularly in uncoded scenarios, while WOLA and F-OFDM exhibit notable improvements in sidelobe suppression and BER under channel coding. The findings highlight the trade-offs between complexity, performance, and implementation feasibility, supporting the selection of optimized waveforms for diverse 5G use cases.
Keywords: Waveform, 5G, OFDM, F-OFDM, FBMC, UFMC, WOLA, KPI
VOLUME 10 ISSUE 04 2026: 166 – 176