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

A transmission method comprises: generating a transmission signal including OFDM symbols, wherein the last OFDM symbol of the OFDM symbols can be partitioned into four segments, and wherein the generating includes: computing an initial padding factor value associated with one of the four segments and computing an initial number of OFDM symbols; determining a user with a longest packet duration among plural users; determining a common padding factor value being the initial padding factor value and a common number of OFDM symbols being the initial number of OFDM symbols of the determined user with the longest packet duration; adding pre-FEC padding bits toward one of four possible boundaries of the last OFDM symbol, the one of four possible boundaries being represented by the determined common padding factor value; and adding post-FEC padding bits in remaining segment(s) of the last OFDM symbol; and transmitting the generated transmission signal.