Resource allocation for multiple classes of DS-CDMA traffic

We consider a packet data direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) system which supports integrated services. The services are partitioned into different traffic classes according to information rate (bandwidth) and quality of service (QoS) requirements. Given sufficient bandwidth, QoS requirements can be satisfied by an appropriate assignment of transmitted power and processing gain to users in each class. The effect of this assignment is analyzed for both a single class of data users and two classes of voice and data users. For a single class of data users, we examine the relationship between average delay and processing gain, assuming that ARQ with forward error correction is used to guarantee reliability. The only channel impairment considered is interference, which is modeled as Gaussian noise. A fixed user population is assumed and two models for generation of data packets are considered: 1) each user generates a new packet as soon as the preceding packet is successfully delivered and 2) each user generates packets according to a Poisson process. In each case, the packets enter a buffer which is emptied at the symbol rate. For the second traffic model, lowering the processing gain below a threshold can produce multiple operating points, one of which corresponds to infinite delay. The choice of processing gain which minimizes average delay in that case is the smallest processing gain at which multiple operating points are avoided. Two classes of users (voice/data and two data classes) are then considered. Numerical examples are presented which illustrate the increase in the two-dimensional (2-D) capacity region achievable by optimizing the assignment of powers and processing gains to each class.