Robust Doppler spread estimation in nonisotropic fading channels

A new parametric approach is proposed for the estimation of the maximum Doppler frequency, or equivalently the mobile speed, in narrowband mobile radio channels. In this work, simple and efficient Doppler-frequency estimators are formulated based on using a small number of samples of the channel autocorrelation function. Unlike previous approaches, the chosen parameterization is shown to be robust in a microcellular propagation environment, which may be characterized by nonisotropic scattering and/or a specular component of unknown strength. Simulation results are described to illustrate the effects of additive noise and the finite data-record performance.