Performance of MC-CDMA with TCM over Wireless Fading Channels

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the performance of a trellis code modulated MC-CDMA system as a function of the number of sub-carriers, bits per symbol, information rate and different flavors of TCM over wireless fading channels. Extensive simulations are performed where random data is sent over multi-path Rayleigh fading channels and performance is evaluated for both slow and fast fading channels. Specifically, two ray multi-path channel employing Jakes model is assumed. Meaningful bit error rate (BER) performance curves are generated for a number of scenarios and based upon these results, useful comparisons are extracted and design guidelines provided for the upcoming 4G communication systems.