Complexity reduction with generalized Viterbi decoding for IS-95A forward link

We present a modified decoding structure for the forward link of IS-95A. The new method employs generalized Viterbi decoding which results in reduced complexity with little degradation in the overall link performance. The results are provided for AWGN and Rayleigh fading channel models. Single and two path soft-handoff cases are also considered for different mobile speeds. Approximately 50% complexity reduction in the Viterbi decoding algorithm is achieved with an increase in the required E/sub b//N/sub 0/ of less than 2 dB for the same quality of service (QoS).