FD-MC-CDMA: a frequency-based multiple access architecture for high performance wireless communication

MC-CDMA demonstrates good probability-of-error performances in frequency selective fading channels, a direct result of its ability to exploit the available frequency diversity benefits. However, MC-CDMA performances are limited by degradation due to large multiple-access interference (MAI). FD-MC-CDMA, a novel multiple access architecture proposed in this paper, exploits the available frequency diversity benefits while minimizing MAI. Instead of transmitting all users' information bits over all carriers, FD-MC-CDMA employs a subset of carriers to support a subset of users (maintaining the same overall system capacity and throughput as in MC-CDMA). By careful selection of each subset of carriers, the available frequency diversity benefits are fully exploited, while the MAI experienced by each user is minimized. Simulation results show FDMC-CDMA outperforming MC-CDMA and FDMA in a frequency selective fading channel.