Performance evaluation of two rate 2/3 turbo code configurations

High-rate turbo code configurations have application in bandwidth-efficient channels. To date, most high-rate codes are realized by punctured rate 1/2 (R1/2) codes. This study employs simulation to compare the bit-error rate (BER) performance of a moderate high-rate turbo-code (R2/3) achieved with two different encoder configurations. The first configuration starts with a strong R1/3 encoder made up of two R1/2 component encoders. The second configuration starts with a weaker R1/2 encoder made up of two R2/3 component encoders. With proper puncturing, each configuration results in an overall R2/3 code. This study evaluates which puncturing technique yields better bit-error performance: a stronger code with more puncturing or a weaker code with less puncturing.