Performance Comparison of Channel Coding Techniques for 5G Telecommunication System Design

The fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication systems is designed to support a vast and heterogeneous set of services, including enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). Each of these use cases imposes unique and often conflicting requirements on the physical layer, particularly in terms of data rate, reliability, and latency. Channel coding, as a fundamental component for error correction, is paramount in meeting these stringent demands. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the channel coding techniques adopted in the 5G New Radio (NR) standard. It delves into the limitations of the previously dominant Turbo codes in 4G LTE and elaborates on the selection of Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes for data channels and Polar codes for control channels. The paper explores the theoretical underpinnings, structural advantages, and implementation considerations of these codes. Furthermore, it discusses the flexible coding framework defined by 5G to accommodate diverse service requirements through mechanisms like rate-matching and incremental redundancy Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ). Finally, the paper presents performance comparisons for coding in beyond-5G (B5G) and 6G systems.