Comparison of maximum-likelihood-based detection for two multirate access schemes for CDMA signals

Future wireless systems will need to accommodate information sources with different data rates. Direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) is a multiple access technique that is well suited to provide multirate access. Thus, in this paper, multirate communication systems are considered for the transmission of DS/CDMA wireless signals. Performance for maximum-likelihood-based detection is studied in the context of two multirate access methodologies: multicode access, where high data rate users multiplex their information streams onto multiple codes; and variable spreading length access where signature sequences of different lengths are assigned to users with different data rates. Various maximum-likelihood-based detection schemes for the variable spreading length system are considered as they can achieve near-optimal performance and thus provide reference points for comparison with suboptimal schemes. In addition, asymptotic multiuser performance measures are calculated and bounded to compare performance of the two systems.