Performance of filterbank multicarrier/offset quadrature amplitude modulation under non-Gaussian additive noise

Filter-bank Multicarrier (FBMC) with Offset Quadrature Amplitude Modulation has been proposed for physical layer of future data transmission networks. It was shown that it can take over the classical OFDM while presenting a better use of available bandwidth with a strong potential for applications to cognitive radio. With the recent aggressive expansion of wireless world, the modern communication environment would be a victim of non Gaussian additive noise. Using the Monte Carlo technique, this paper investigates the symbol error rate of FBMC/OQAM in presence of this type of additive noise, modeled by the class A Middleton noise. This noise model can be interpreted as a filtered Poisson process with assumption that the IF output envelop follows a bilateral Rayleigh distribution. Simulation results show that by increasing the number of sub-carriers, the system can effectively combat the harmful influence of this type of noise.