On Schemes for Multriate Support in DS-CDMA Systems

Different modulation schemes supporting multiple data rates in a Direct Sequence Code Division Multiple Access (DS-CDMA) system are studied. Both AWGN and multipath Rayleigh fading channels are considered. It is shown that the multi processing-gain scheme and the multi-channel scheme have almost the same performance. However, the multi-channel scheme may have some advantages due to easier code design and multiuser receiver construction. The drawback though, is the need for linear amplifiers also in mobile terminals. A multi-modulation scheme is also possible, but the performance for the users with the high data rates are significantly worse than for the other schemes. Furthermore multi chip-rate, parallel combinatory spread spectrum (PC/SS), pulse position modulation (PPM) and variable duty cycle schemes are discussed briefly.