Bit Error Rate and

Signal to Noise
Ratio
Introduction
• Bit Error Rate is a fundamental parameter which provides a
qualitative measure of quality of a digital communication
system which guides in design , optimization and evaluation of
a communication system.

• Signal to Noise Ratio is a fundamental parameter which

provides the quantitative measure of quality of the received
signal in relative to the background noise level helps in
optimization and performance evaluation of a communication
system.
Bit Error Rate

1. Performance Evaluation : BER provides a quantitative

measure of the quality of a digital communication system.

2. Capacity Planning: Understanding the BER helps in

designing communication systems that can handle the required
amount of data with an acceptable level of error.

3. Error Correction and Detection: BER is used to assess the

effectiveness of error correction and detection mechanisms
employed in the system.
Bit Error Rate

4. Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) Estimation: BER is directly

related to the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the
communication channel.

5. Comparative Analysis: BER allows for comparisons

between different communication systems or configurations.

.
Bit Error Rate

BER=

Example :

No of bits used for communication : 5

The Transmitted bits : [1 0 1 0 1]
The Received bits : [1 1 1 1 1]

BER= 2/5=0.4.
Bit Error Rate (SNR =20dB)

•BPSK: BER ≈ 10^-5

•QPSK: BER ≈ 10^-8

•10^-5= 1/100000
 Signal to Noise Ratio

1. Performance Evaluation : SNR provides a quantitative measure of the

quality of the received signal in relation to the background noise level.
.
2. Capacity Planning : Understanding the SNR helps in designing
communication systems that can handle the required amount of data with
an acceptable level of noise.

3. Error Probability : SNR directly affects the probability of errors in data

transmission.

4. Transmission Range: SNR is critical for determining the effective range

of communication systems.
 Signal to Noise Ratio

5. Sensitivity Analysis : SNR analysis helps in assessing the sensitivity of

.
communication systems to noise and interference.

6 Interference Mitigation : Understanding the SNR allows for the

implementation of techniques to mitigate interference and improve signal
quality.

7. Energy Efficiency: SNR optimization can lead to more energy-efficient

communication systems.
 Signal to Noise Ratio

For Power:
•SNR (dB) = 10 * log (S / N)
.
For Voltage:
•SNR (dB) = 20 * log (S / N)

• SNR (dB): Signal-to-Noise Ratio in decibels (dB)

• S: Average signal power
• N: Average noise power

•For normal calculation i.e linear scale SNR= Signal level/Noise level.
 Signal to Noise Ratio

•High-Quality Signal Transmission (e.g., audio, high-speed data) :

SNR >= 20 dB (or higher)
.
•Acceptable Signal Transmission (e.g., voice calls, basic data):
SNR = 10 dB - 20 dB

•Degraded Signal Transmission (possible errors) :

SNR = 5 dB - 10 dB

•Very Low Signal Transmission (high error rate):

SNR < 5 dB
Signal to Noise Ratio

.
Channel Capacity

• The Channel Capacity Theorem, It provides a theoretical

upper limit on the maximum rate at which information can
be reliably transmitted over a communication channel
subject to noise.
• The theorem states that for a communication channel with
bandwidth B Hz and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) S, the
maximum achievable channel capacity C in bits per second
(bps) is given by:
C=B×log2​(1+S/N).
Helps in optimizing the system performance in various
constraints.
Spectral Efficiency

• Spectral efficiency represents the rate of information

transmission per unit of bandwidth and is measured in bits
per second per Hertz (bps/Hz).

• ηSE=Data Rate​/Bandwidth.

• η =log2​(1+S/N).

• Channel Capacity = B* Spectral Efficiency

Energy Efficiency

• Energy efficiency in digital communication systems refers

amount of information (in bits) transmitted per unit of
energy consumed (in Joules).

• ηEE=Data Rate​/Power Consumed.

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Energy Efficiency
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Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficiency