AbstractA successive interference cancellation (SIC) algorithm is developed for the interception of signals transmitted on a CDMA forward link. The system is modelled after the IS‐95 standard but the results are also applicable to other CDMA systems such as the wideband CDMA (W‐CDMA) and IS‐2000 standards. In realistic systems, the different forward link channels are de‐orthogonalised, leading to performance degradation in conventional matched filter (CMF)‐type receivers. Simulation results indicate that the proposed SIC receiver ameliorates the detrimental effects of de‐orthogonalisation, interference and multipath, exhibiting significant gains in traffic capacity over the capacity of a CMF. The numerical simulations also show that the proposed receiver is relatively insensitive to system imperfections. The techniques developed in this paper can be used for interception, surveillance, reconnaissance or monitoring of CDMA signals; to relax the strict requirements on power control; and to improve the capacity of CDMA systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.