Multiuser channel estimation and tracking 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 periods are much larger than the symbol duration. 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 symbol duration. The iterative channel estimate is also shown to be asymptotically unbiased. 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. The effect of error in decision feedback from the multistage detector (used in the absence of training sequences) is also shown to be negligible for reasonable feedback error rates using simulations. The proposed iterative channel estimation technique is also extended to track slowly varying multipath fading channels using decision feedback. Thus, an MAI-resistant multiuser channel estimation and tracking scheme with reasonable computational complexity is derived for long-code CDMA systems over multipath fading channels.