On the application of low complexity iterative decoding schemes to fading channels

Bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) combines coding and modulation in a way that is well suited to the requirements of fading channels. If turbo codes or low density parity check (LDPC) codes are employed in a BICM scheme, it is possible to achieve very good performance at signal-to-noise ratios near capacity. In this paper, we investigate the application of BICM to fading channels using low complexity (2- and 4-state) multiple turbo codes and simple, algebraically constructed LDPC codes. Specifically, we consider modulation schemes operating at 1 bps/Hz and 2 bps/Hz with rate-1/2 coded QPSK and 16-QAM modulation, respectively.