OFDM Versus Filter Bank Multicarrier

As of today, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been the dominant technology for broadband multicarrier communications. However, in certain applications such as cognitive radios and uplink of multiuser multicarrier systems, where a subset of subcarriers is allocated to each user, OFDM may be an undesirable solution. In this article, we address the shortcomings of OFDM in these and other applications and show that filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) could be a more effective solution. Although FBMC methods have been studied by a number of researchers, and some even before the invention of OFDM, only recently has FBMC been seriously considered by a few standard committees. The goal of this article is to bring this upcoming trend to the attention of the signal processing and communications communities and to motivate more research in this important area. © 2006 IEEE.