Timing and Frequency Synchronisation for Multiuser Detection on the Return Link of Interactive Mobile Satellite Networks

Synchronization, a key process in a communication system, can be very demanding, especially in burst mode transmissions. The estimation of timing, frequency and phase offsets is sensitive to the magnitude of these offsets as well as the ambient interference and noise levels. The aggressive reuse of frequencies in a multibeam satellite system increases the co-channel interference significantly and motivates the need to revisit, and re-design if needed, the algorithms used for synchronization. This paper deals with such a scenario occurring on the return link of a mobile interactive satellite system and provides a set of synchronization sub-systems that allow for the design of a robust modem that can reap the benefits of sophisticated interference mitigation techniques.