Multiuser channel estimation for long code CDMA systems

Channel estimation techniques for code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems need to combat multiple access interference (MAI) effectively. Most existing estimation techniques are designed for CDMA systems with short repetitive spreading codes. However, current and next generation wireless systems use long spreading codes whose period is much larger than the symbol duration. In this paper, we derive the maximum likelihood channel estimate for long code CDMA systems over multipath channels using training sequences and approximate it using an iterative algorithm to reduce the computational complexity in each processing window. The asymptotic convergence of the mean of the iterative estimate to the actual channel is also shown. The effectiveness of the iterative channel estimator is demonstrated in terms of squared error in estimation as well as the bit error rate performance of a multistage detector based on the channel estimates. Finally, the proposed iterative channel estimation technique is extended to track slowly varying multipath fading channels using decision feedback. Thus, an MAI resistant multiuser channel estimate with reasonable computational complexity is derived for long code CDMA systems over multipath fading channels