ECE310 – Wireless Communications

Problem Solving Assignment A

September 9, 2025

Problem 1
Question: What is the Bit Error Rate (BER) of a BPSK communication system over
an AWGN channel at an SNR of 10 dB?

Solution
Given: BPSK over AWGN, SNR = 10 dB interpreted as γb = Eb /N0 .
Formulas:
r ! Z ∞
2Eb 1 2
Pb = Q , γb = 10SNR(dB)/10
, Q(x) = √ e−t /2 dt.
N0 2π x

Compute:
√ 
γb = 1010/10
= 10 ⇒ Pb = Q 20 ≈ 3.87 × 10−6 .

Pb ≈ 3.87 × 10−6

Problem 2
Question: Compute the required SNR(dB) for a probability of bit error, i.e., BER =
10−6 over an AWGN channel.

Solution
Given: BER = 10−6 for BPSK over an AWGN channel.
Formula: p 
Pb = Q 2γb , γb = 10SNR(dB)/10 .
Steps:
Q−1 (10−6 ) = 4.7534
p (4.7534)2
2γb = 4.7534 ⇒ γb = = 11.30.
2

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 Convert γb to dB:

SNR(dB) = 10 log10 (11.30) = 10.53 dB.

Required SNR = 10.53 dB

Problem 3
Question: Compute the transmit SNR(dB) required to achieve Pe = 5 × 10−4 for 8-PSK
in an AWGN channel.

Solution
Given: Pe = 5 × 10−4 for 8-PSK over an AWGN channel.
Formula for M -PSK:
p  π 
Pe = 2 Q 2γs sin
M
Es
where M = 8, γs = .
N0
Simplify for M = 8 π 
sin = 0.3827
8
 p 
Pe = 2 Q 0.3827 2γs .
Solve for Q term
Pe  p 
= Q 0.3827 2γs
2
Q−1 2.5 × 10−4 = 3.49

Solve for γs p
0.3827 2γs = 3.49
p 3.49
2γs = = 9.12
0.3827
(9.12)2
γs = = 41.58
2
Convert to dB
SNR(dB) = 10 log10 (41.58) = 16.19 dB

Required SNR = 16.19 dB

Problem 4
Question: Compare the Bit Error Rate (BER) for BPSK transmission at SNR(dB) = 10
dB over a Rayleigh fading wireless channel with that of the wireline AWGN channel.

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Solution
Given: BPSK at SNR = 10 dB. Compare BER in AWGN vs. Rayleigh fading.
Formulas:
p   q 
1 γb
AWGN: Pb = Q 2γb , Rayleigh: P b = 2 1 − 1+γb ,

γb = 10SNR(dB)/10 .
Compute: γb = 1010/10 = 10.
√
PbAWGN = Q( 20) ≈ 3.87 × 10−6 .
 q 
Rayleigh
Pb = 2 1 − 10
1
11
≈ 2.33 × 10−2 .

Rayleigh
PbAWGN ≈ 3.87 × 10−6 ≪ P b ≈ 2.33 × 10−2

Problem 5
Question: Compute the SNR(dB) required to achieve a bit-error rate of 10−6 over a
Rayleigh fading wireless channel.

Solution
Given: Target BER = 10−6 for BPSK in Rayleigh fading.
Formula (invert):  q 
γb
P b = 12 1 − 1+γ b
= 10−6 .

Let a ≜ 1 − 2P b = 0.999998. Then

γb a2 0.999996
a2 = ⇒ γb = ≈ ≈ 2.5 × 105 .
1 + γb 1−a 2 4 × 10−6
Convert to dB:
SNR(dB) = 10 log10 (2.5 × 105 ) ≈ 53.98 dB .

Problem 6
Question: Compute the Bit Error Rate (BER) for BPSK communication over a multi-
antenna fading wireless channel with L = 4 receive antennas at an SNR of 20 dB.

Solution
Given: BPSK over Rayleigh fading with L = 4 receive antennas (MRC), SNR = 20 dB.
Assumption: 20 dB is the average per-branch γb (common convention for MRC).
MRC BER for BPSK (i.i.d. branches):
L−1  k !
1−µ
r
1 X γb
Pb = 1−µ , µ≜ .
2 k=0
1+µ 1 + γb

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 Compute: γb = 1020/10 = 100, so
1−µ
q
µ = 100101
≈ 0.99503, r≜ ≈ 0.00249,
1+µ
3
X
rk ≈ 1 + 0.00249 + 6.2 × 10−6 + 1.5 × 10−8 ≈ 1.002506.
k=0

P b ≈ 12 (1 − 0.99503 × 1.002506) ≈ 1.24 × 10−3 .

P b ≈ 1.24 × 10−3 (for L = 4, γb = 20 dB per branch)

Problem 7
Question: Consider a GSM system operating at a carrier frequency of fc = 900 MHz.
Compute the minimum spacing required between the antennas for independently fading
channels.

Solution
Given: GSM at fc = 900 MHz. Find minimum spacing for (approximately) independent
fading.
Rule of thumb: antenna spacing ≈ λ/2.
c 3 × 108
λ= = ≈ 0.333 m ⇒ dmin ≈ λ/2 ≈ 0.167 m (16.7 cm) .
fc 9 × 108

Problem 8
Question: Consider a wireless signal with a carrier frequency of fc = 1800 MHz, which
is transmitted over a wireless channel that results in L = 4 multipath components at
delays of 227, 463, 942, and 1783 ns, with corresponding received signal amplitudes of
1, 0.8, 0.6, and 0.5 respectively. Derive the expression for the received baseband signal
yb (t) if the transmitted baseband signal is sb (t). Also, compute the channel coefficient h
for this system for the scenario that the signal sb (t) is narrowband.

Solution
Given: fc = 1800 MHz, L = 4 paths with delays τl ∈ {227, 463, 942, 1783} ns and
amplitudes al ∈ {1, 0.8, 0.6, 0.5}.
Wideband baseband model:
4
X
yb (t) = αl sb (t − τl ) , αl = al e−j2πfc τl .
l=1

Narrowband (flat) channel coefficient:

4
X 4
X
h= αl = al e−j2πfc τl .
l=1 l=1

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Numerically (with τl in seconds and fc = 1.8 GHz):
h ≈ −2.346 + j 0.176 ⇒ |h| ≈ 2.353.

4
X 4
X
−j2πfc τl
yb (t) = al e sb (t − τl ), h= al e−j2πfc τl
l=1 l=1

Problem 9
Question: Consider a Rayleigh fading channel based wireless system such that E[|h|2 ] =
1, where h is the flat-fading channel coefficient. If the transmit power Pt (dB) = 25 dB,
what is the probability that the receive power is greater than 20 dB? Compute the same
for a receive power of 10 dB.
Given: Rayleigh fading channel with E[|h|2 ] = 1, Pt = 25 dB. Find P (Pr > Pth ) for
thresholds Pth = 20 dB and Pth = 10 dB.

Solution
The received power is:
Pr = Pt |h|2 .
Since |h|2 is exponentially distributed with mean 1:
f|h|2 (x) = e−x , x ≥ 0.
The probability that the received power exceeds a threshold is:
   
2 Pth,lin Pth,lin
P (Pr > Pth ) = P |h| > = exp − .
Pt,lin Pt,lin
Convert to linear scale:
25
Pt,lin = 10 10 = 316.23
20
Pth,lin (20 dB) = 10 10 = 100
10
Pth,lin (10 dB) = 10 10 = 10
For 20 dB:  
100
P (Pr > 20 dB) = exp − = e−0.3162 ≈ 0.729.
316.23
For 10 dB:  
10
P (Pr > 10 dB) = exp − = e−0.0316 ≈ 0.969.
316.23
Final Answer
P (Pr > 20 dB) ≈ 0.729, P (Pr > 10 dB) ≈ 0.969

Problem 10
Question: Compute the SNRs in dB required for BERs of 10−8 and 10−10 for BPSK
transmission over an AWGN channel.

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Solution
Given: Target BERs are 10−8 and 10−10 for BPSK over an AWGN channel.
Formula: p 
Pb = Q 2γb , γb = 10SNR(dB)/10 .
To find γb , we invert the Q function:
2
p −1 [Q−1 (Pb )]
2γb = Q (Pb ) ⇒ γb = .
2

Case 1: BER = 10−8

Q−1 (10−8 ) = 5.612.
(5.612)2
γb = = 15.74.
2
SNR(dB) = 10 log10 (15.74) = 11.97 dB.

Case 2: BER = 10−10

Q−1 (10−10 ) = 6.361.
(6.361)2
γb = = 20.24.
2
SNR(dB) = 10 log10 (20.24) = 13.06 dB.

Final Answer
SNR for BER 10−8 = 11.97 dB , SNR for BER 10−10 = 13.06 dB

Problem 11
Question: Consider an L = 2 multi-antenna Rayleigh fading channel based wireless
system. If the transmit power Pt (dB) = 25 dB, what is the probability that the receive
power is greater than 20 dB? Compute the same for a receive power of 10 dB. Repeat
this analysis for an L = 3 multi-antenna Rayleigh fading channel.

Solution
Given: Rayleigh fading with L i.i.d. branches, Pt = 25 dB. Find P (Pr > Pth ) for
Pth ∈ {20 dB, 10 dB} for L = 2 and L = 3.
Model & Formulae: With maximal-ratio combining (MRC), the received power is
L
X
Pr = Pt |hℓ |2 ,
ℓ=1
PL
where |hℓ |2 ∼ Exp(1) i.i.d., hence S ≜ ℓ=1 |hℓ |2 ∼ Γ(L, 1). For x > 0,
L−1 k
−x
X x
P(S > x) = e .
k=0
k!

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Therefore
  L−1 k
Pth,lin X x Pth,lin
P(Pr > Pth ) = P S > = exp(−x) , x= .
Pt,lin k=0
k! Pt,lin

Numerics:

Pt,lin = 1025/10 = 316.23, Pth,lin (20 dB) = 100, Pth,lin (10 dB) = 10.

Thus
100 10
x20 = ≈ 0.31623, x10 = ≈ 0.03162.
316.23 316.23
L = 2:
P(Pr > 20 dB) = e−x20 (1 + x20 ) ≈ 0.9594,
P(Pr > 10 dB) = e−x10 (1 + x10 ) ≈ 0.99951.
L = 3:  
x2
P(Pr > 20 dB) = e−x20 1 + x20 + 220 ≈ 0.99583,
 
x2
P(Pr > 10 dB) = e−x10 1 + x10 + 210 ≈ 0.999995.

L = 2 : P(Pr > 20 dB) ≈ 0.9594, P(Pr > 10 dB) ≈ 0.99951,

L = 3 : P(Pr > 20 dB) ≈ 0.99583, P(Pr > 10 dB) ≈ 0.999995.

Problem 12
Question: Compute the approximate Bit Error Rate (BER) at SNR = 25 dB with an
array of L = 3 receive antennas at the receiver.

Solution
Given: BPSK over Rayleigh fading with maximal-ratio combining (MRC), L = 3,
SNR = 25 dB (per branch).
BER for BPSK with L-branch MRC (i.i.d. Rayleigh):
L−1  k !
1−µ
r
1 X γb
Pb = 1−µ , µ≜ , γb = 10SNR(dB)/10 .
2 k=0
1 + µ 1 + γ b

Compute: γb = 1025/10 = 316.23,

r 2
316.23 1−µ X
µ= ≈ 0.99842, r = ≈ 7.893 × 10−4 , rk ≈ 1.0007899.
317.23 1+µ k=0

P b ≈ 12 (1 − 0.99842 × 1.0007899) ≈ 3.94 × 10−4 .

P b ≈ 3.94 × 10−4

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Problem 13
Question: Derive the exact dB difference between the SNR required to achieve Pe =
5 × 10−3 for BPSK in an AWGN channel and the SNR required to achieve the same Pe
for BPSK over a Rayleigh fading wireless channel with no receive diversity.

Solution
Goal: dB gap between the SNRs required for Pe = 5 × 10−3 with BPSK in AWGN vs.
Rayleigh (no diversity).
AWGN (BPSK)
2
Q−1 (Pe )

p
p
Pe = Q 2γb ⇒ 2γb = Q−1 (Pe ), γb,AWGN = .
2
For Pe = 0.005, Q−1 (0.005) = 2.5758:

(2.5758)2
γb,AWGN = = 3.319 ⇒ SNRAWGN = 10 log10 (3.319) = 5.21 dB.
2
Rayleigh (no diversity, average BER)
 r 
1 γb
Pe = 1− = p.
2 1 + γb

Let a ≜ 1 − 2p. Then

a2
r
γb γb
a= ⇒ a2 = ⇒ γb,Ray = .
1 + γb 1 + γb 1 − a2

With p = 0.005, a = 1 − 0.01 = 0.99, a2 = 0.9801:

0.9801 0.9801
γb,Ray = = = 49.296 ⇒ SNRRay = 10 log10 (49.296) = 16.93 dB.
1 − 0.9801 0.0199
Exact dB Difference

∆(dB) = SNRRay − SNRAWGN = 16.93 − 5.21 = 11.72 dB .

Problem 14
Question: Derive the dB difference between the SNR required to achieve Pe = 5 × 10−3
for BPSK in an AWGN channel with 2 receive antennas and the SNR required to achieve
the same Pe for BPSK over a Rayleigh fading wireless channel with 2 receive antennas.
You may use the approximation for BER developed in class for the diversity system.

Solution
Goal: dB gap between the SNRs required for Pe = 5 × 10−3 with BPSK in (i) AWGN
with L = 2 receive antennas (MRC) and (ii) Rayleigh fading with L = 2 (MRC).

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 AWGN, L = 2 (MRC) Effective SNR is the sum across branches: γtot = 2γ (per-
branch γ). For BPSK in AWGN,
p
√

Pe = Q 2γtot = Q 2 γ .

Hence  −1 2
√ Q (0.005)
2 γ = Q−1 (Pe ) ⇒ γAWGN, L=2 = .
4
With Q−1 (0.005) = 2.5758,

γAWGN, L=2 = 1.6587 ⇒ SNRAWGN, L=2 = 10 log10 (1.6587) = 2.20 dB .

Rayleigh, L = 2 (MRC) Average BER for BPSK with L-branch MRC over i.i.d.
Rayleigh:
L−1  k !
1−µ
r
1 X γ
Pe = 1−µ , µ= ,
2 k=0
1+µ 1+γ
where γ is the per-branch average SNR. For L = 2,


1 1−µ
P e = 2 1 − µ 1 + 1+µ .

Solve P e = 0.005 numerically to get

γRay, L=2 = 24.5025 ⇒ SNRRay, L=2 = 10 log10 (24.5025) = 13.89 dB .

dB Difference

∆(dB) = SNRRay, L=2 − SNRAWGN, L=2 = 13.89 − 2.20 = 11.69 dB .

Problem 15
Question: Consider the multipath power profile of a wireless channel shown in below
figure comprising L = 4 multipath components. Compute the RMS delay spread σRMS,τ
for this wireless channel.

Figure 1: Power profile

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Solution
Given: L = 4 paths at delays τ = {0, 1, 3, 5} µs with powers (from figure) PdB =
{−20, −10, 0, −10} dB.
Convert to linear power weights:
4
X
wℓ = 10Pℓ,dB /10 ⇒ {0.01, 0.1, 1, 0.1}, W = wℓ = 1.21.
ℓ=1

Mean excess delay:

P
wℓ τℓ 0.01 · 0 + 0.1 · 1 + 1 · 3 + 0.1 · 5 3.60
τ̄ = Pℓ = µs = µs = 2.975×10−6 s (2.975 µs).
ℓ wℓ 1.21 1.21

RMS delay spread: sP

ℓ wℓ (τℓ − τ̄ )2
σRMS,τ = P
ℓ wℓ
r
0.01(0 − 2.975)2 + 0.1(1 − 2.975)2 + 1(3 − 2.975)2 + 0.1(5 − 2.975)2
= µs
1.21
r
0.0885 + 0.3900 + 0.0006 + 0.4095 p
= µs = 0.7358/1.21 µs = 0.857 × 10−6 s.
1.21

τ̄ ≈ 2.98 µs, σRMS,τ ≈ 0.857 µs

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