SCTE Tech Tip: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)

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• published: 06 Feb 2013
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Daniel Howard, SCTE's Senior Vice President, Engineering and CTO, explains OFDM as part of SCTE's LiveLearning Webinar: Modern Modulation and Multiplexing. See the entire webinar and learn more at www.scte.org/livelearning Description: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) will be used by cable operators to deliver higher speed data services and increase the capacity of their HFC access networks and is at the heart of DOCSIS 3.1. While other technologies such as Low Density Parity Check coding will also likely be part of 3.1, this webinar will focus on OFDM itself, beginning with a discussion on how the industry needs higher order modulation schemes above 256 QAM, and wider effective channels to achieve Gigabit speeds to individual customers, and then how OFDM provides these capabilities. The webinar will continue with the details of OFDM, how it differs from conventional FDM and how the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform is used in defining the waveform. Additional details will be discussed, such as how pilot tones are used for synchronization and channel equalization, and how OFDM provides impulse and narrow band ingress robustness on the upstream beyond the capabilities of ATDMA and S-CDMA as a natural consequence of its structure. Finally, the operational system and network implications of OFDM and its deployment will be discussed, including some key areas that cable operators can focus on when preparing to deploy OFDM in their networks. The webinar will answer the following questions: Why move beyond QAM 256? What are the options for higher order modulation? What are the options in multiplexing today's data signals to the customer? What are the advantages/disadvantages of OFDM? Why is OFDM better than S-CDMA, ATDMA and others? How will operators transition to OFDM and higher order QAM rates? For a complete list of SCTE courses, visit www.scte.org/courses. To learn more about SCTE Certifications, visit www.scte.org/certification.