Iterative multiuser detection for coded CDMA signals in AWGN and fading channels

A new iterative receiver for joint detection and decoding of code division multiple access (CDMA) signals is presented. The new scheme is based on a combination of the minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion and the turbo processing principle by Hagenauer (see Proc. Int. Symp. Turbo Codes and Related Topics, Brest, France, p.1-9, 1997). The complexity of the new scheme is of polynomial order in the number of users. The new scheme is applicable to two situations: (a) when the receiver is capable of decoding the signals from all users and (b) when the receiver is only capable of decoding the signals from a subset of users. In the first scenario, we establish that the proposed receiver achieves superior performance to the iterative soft interference cancellation technique under certain conditions. On the other hand, in the second scenario, we argue that the proposed receiver outperforms both the iterative soft interference canceler and the iterative maximum a posteriori (MAP) receiver because of its superior near-far resistance. For operation over fading channels, the estimation of the complex fading parameters for all users becomes an important ingredient in any multiuser detector. In our scheme, the soft information provided by the decoders is used to enhance this estimation process. Two iterative soft-input channel estimation algorithms are presented: the first is based on the MMSE criterion, and the second is a lower-complexity approximation of the first. The proposed multiuser detection algorithm(s) are suitable for both terrestrial and satellite applications of CDMA.