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IJEETC 2026 Vol.15(2): 128-135
doi: 10.18178/ijeetc.15.2.128-135

Deep Learning-Based Channel State Estimation Approach for OFDM System

Ali Alqatawneh
Computer and Communication Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Tafila Technical University, Tafila, Jordan
E-mail: Ali.qatawneh@ttu.edu.jo (A.A.)

Manuscript received October 16, 2025; revised November 21, 2025, 2025; accepted December 29, 2025

Abstract—This paper introduces a hybrid, low-complexity channel estimation scheme that integrates pilot-aided channel estimation with Machine Learning (ML) to obtain the Channel State Information (CSI) for an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) system. The proposed method eliminates the need for channel statistics at data subcarrier positions, while still achieving performance comparable to that of classical pilot-aided channel estimation schemes. The CSI is fully determined by first obtaining channel coefficients at subcarrier positions where pilot symbols are transmitted; these coefficients are then used to obtain channel coefficients at data subcarrier positions. Thus, in the proposed method, pilot symbols are inserted among data symbols. The pilot symbols are used to estimate channel coefficients at pilot subcarrier positions using the Linear Minimum-Mean-Square-Error (LMMSE) estimator. The estimated coefficients are then used as an input to a Feed- Forward Neural Network (FFNN). The FFNN is trained to learn and capture channel characteristics from the estimated coefficients at subcarrier positions where pilot symbols are transmitted. The trained neural network can predict channel coefficients at data subcarrier positions where pilot information is unavailable. In some conventional pilot-aided channel estimation schemes, the cross-correlation matrix of channel coefficients at the positions of data subcarriers is an essential parameter for estimating channel coefficients at those positions. However, this statistical information may not be available. In the proposed scheme, channel coefficients at data subcarrier positions can be predicted using a trained FFNN, without requiring statistical information about coefficients at those positions. Also, the proposed method avoids high computational complexity in statistical-based channel estimation methods. For example, the computational complexity of the classical LMMSE mainly stems from the matrix inversion and multiplication operations it involves. Computer simulations in MATLAB show that the Mean- Squared Error (MSE) of the proposed estimation method can achieve performance comparable to classical systems, especially at low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR).

 
Index Terms—dataset, Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN), machine learning, mean squared error, neural network, pilot symbols, training

Cite: Ali Alqatawneh, "Deep Learning-Based Channel State Estimation Approach for OFDM System," International Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering & Telecommunications, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 128-135, 2026. doi: 10.18178/ijeetc.15.2.128-135

Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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