Velocity Estimation of Mobile Terminals by Exploiting GSM Downlink Signalling

In this paper, we experimentally evaluate algorithms for velocity estimation of a GSM 900 mobile terminal which are based on the analysis of the statistical properties of the fast fading process. It is shown how theses statistics can be obtained from the training sequences present in downlink transmission bursts without establishing an active connection. Realistic simulations of a GSM channel according to the COST 207 channel models have been conducted. These models incorporate effects like multipath propagation, fading, cochannel interference and additive noise. It is shown that velocity estimation by searching for the maximum slope of the power density spectrum of the fast fading performs best.