Performance of multiuser detection for CDMA system in a flat Rayleigh fading environment

Abstract

In a CDMA communication network using conventional signal detection, system capacity is limited and its performance is degraded by the multi-access interference (MAI). Multiuser detection, which makes use of cross-correlation information between spread spectrum codes, can reduce or eliminate the MAI in a Gaussian channel so as to mitigate the near-far effects and increase the system capacity. This paper extends the multiuser detector to a flat Rayleigh fading CDMA environment, and discusses the bit error rate of typical multiuser detection algorithms in such a environment by combining theoretical analysis and computer simulation. It is shown that multiuser detection is superior to conventional detections in the flat Rayleigh fading channels.