Hybrid Peak-to-Average Power Ratio Reduction Techniques: Review and Performance Comparison

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is an efficient multi-carrier modulation technique for wireless communication. However, one of the main drawbacks encountered in implementing it is its resultant high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). Many techniques have been proposed in the literature to substantially decrease the peaks in the OFDM signal. The problem with these, however, is that their effects on other parameters are not always positive. These effects include a decrease in the bit error rate (BER), an increase in complexity, or a reduction in the bit rate. The objective of this paper is to describe the PAPR problem in a bid to reduce the peaks in the OFDM signal. The paper proposes a classification, performance evaluation and optimization of PAPR reduction techniques for commercial, public safety, and tactical applications. In the taxonomy proposed herein, we also include a new category, namely, hybrid techniques. Furthermore, we compare the principal characteristics through a complementary cumulative distribution function and BER evaluation, and conclude on the importance of hybrid techniques, when the goal is to both improve the BER and reduce the PAPR.