Apparatus and method for padding and packet extension for downlink multiuser transmission

An integrated circuit comprising:

• control circuitry, which, in operation, controls
• generating a signal including a plurality of OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbols for a data field, wherein a last OFDM symbol of the plurality of OFDM symbols is partitioned into four segments, the four segments ending with four boundaries, respectively, and the signal is generated based on pre-FEC (Forward Error Correction) padding bits added toward one of the four boundaries of the last OFDM symbol and post-FEC padding bits added in remaining segment(s) of the last OFDM symbol, the one of four possible boundaries being represented by a common padding factor value;
• and
• transmitting the signal;
• and
• at least one output coupled to the control circuitry, which, in operation outputs an electric signal,
• wherein the common padding factor value is a padding factor value of a user with the longest packet duration among a plurality of users, and is determined based on defined padding factor values of the plurality of users and based on corresponding numbers of OFDM symbols for the data field of the plurality of users, and
• the longest packet duration is determined by comparing tentative packet durations of the plurality of users, the tentative packet durations being calculated based on the defined padding factor values and the corresponding numbers of OFDM symbols.