Performance of coherent time delay estimation techniques for frequency hopping GSM signals

In this paper, the performance of coherent time delay estimation techniques for frequency hopping GSM signals is investigated. It is demonstrated that the techniques enable the usage of a substantially higher bandwidth for time delay estimation and localization purposes compared to state-of-the-art techniques. Since resolution and noise performance directly depend on the applied bandwidth of the signals, major improvements can be realized. For E-GSM 900 systems, an overall bandwidth of up to 35 MHz may be used which enables time delay estimation and localization in the scale of a few meters. The coherent time delay estimation techniques are therefore ideally suited for search and rescue applications.