Are DS-CDMA indoor system deployments appropriate for OFDM networks?

Abstract

The proliferation of wireless systems (especially in the license-exempt bands) in indoor environments in today's world is a key motivator to enabling optimum coexistence between wireless networks in close physical proximity. One prominent technology that is popular with contemporary wireless systems is orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). However, as OFDM networks replace already existing direct sequence-code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) networks, a key question confronts radio engineers and system designers: will the network upgrade necessitate a redeployment of the DS-CDMA base stations to provide optimum OFDM system performance? In this paper, we compare the effects of base station deployment configurations between OFDM and DS-CDMA networks in two architecturally different indoor environments using a set of RF path loss measurements to provide the channel models.