MIMO Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum Multi-Carrier Multiple Access: A Novel Uplink System for B3G Cellular Networks

Abstract

In this paper, we propose and give the performance of a novel uplink system based on the combination of multi-carrier (MC), code division multiple access (CDMA) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO) techniques. First, we describe the interests of spread-spectrum multi-carrier multiple access (SS-MC-MA) scheme for uplink, especially compared to MC-CDMA. Classically, with SS-MC-MA, each user spreads its data symbols on a specific subset of adjacent or multiplexed subcarriers, to facilitate the channel estimation and reduce complexity at the reception. In order to compensate for the lack of frequency diversity of SS-MC-MA with adjacent subcarriers, we first combine it with an orthogonal space-time block code (STBC) and demonstrate the resulting spatial diversity gain. Then, we propose to allocate the subsets to the different users by applying a frequency hopping pattern (FH). In that case, each user benefits from the frequency diversity linked to the total bandwidth as with the multiplexed subcarriers solution, while keeping the advantages of the adjacent subcarriers solution. The gain provided by the use of the frequency hopping is stressed on. Finally, the performance of this scheme is evaluated over realistic MIMO channel with channel turbo coding for systems offering asymptotic spectrum efficiency of 1, 2, 3 and 4.5 bit/s/Hz. Thus, the efficiency of the novel proposed STBC FH SS-MC-MA system as a very promising multiple access and modulation scheme for the uplink of the future wideband wireless networks is successfully demonstrated.