Large size FFTs over time-varying channels

In orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals, the usage of large size fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) reduces the guard interval percentage, and therefore increases the data throughput reducing the data overhead. In addition, for the same pilot pattern, the distance between adjacent pilots is smaller, which will improve the channel estimation. Nevertheless, up to now, they have not been considered for delivering mobile services as the inter-carrier interference (ICI) due to the Doppler effect is very critical. The main objective is to show that taking advantage of the latest improvements in error correction techniques, it is feasible to use large size FFTs for time-varying channels. Furthermore, there is also presented a theoretical estimation for quantifying the loss due to the ICI, and finally several simulation results that reinforce the idea that large OFDM symbols are suitable for mobile channels.