Iterative Multiuser Detection and Channel Estimation in a Multibeam Satellite Communication System

This paper deals with the use of non-linear multiuser detection techniques to mitigate co-channel interference on the reverse link of multibeam satellite systems. The considered system is inspired by the DVB-RCS standard, with the use of convolutional coding. The proposed scheme consists of an iterative parallel interference cancellation algorithm with semi-blind channel estimation. The main contributions of this paper are the assumption of unknown beamformer coefficients for the receiver design, the introduction a low complexity scheme for a symbol asynchronous channel, and sensitivity evaluations with imperfect timing recoveries or reduced frequency offsets. The proposed algorithm allows close to single user performance on configurations characterized by very low C/I