Turbo-FSK, a physical layer for low-power wide-area networks: Analysis and optimization

As the Internet-of-Things is becoming a reality, the need for a new Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) network emerged in the last few years. Numerous low-cost devices will be connected, and this requires an optimization of the link budget: the physical layer needs to be designed highly energy efficient. The combination of M-ary orthogonal Frequency-Shift-Keying (M-FSK) modulation and coding in the same process has been shown to be a promising candidate when associated with an iterative receiver (turbo principle). In this work, we study this new digital transmission scheme, called Turbo-FSK. An EXtrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) chart analysis is realized. The influence of the packet length is investigated, and the scheme is shown to stay energy efficiency even with short packet sizes. Comparison with LPWA current technologies is performed, showing the potential of this technology. (C) 2016 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.