Chip-interleaved block-spread CDMA versus DS-CDMA for cellular downlink: a comparative study

A so-termed chip-interleaved block-spread (CIBS) code division multiple access (CDMA) system has been introduced for cellular applications in the presence of frequency selective multipath channels. In both uplink and downlink operation, CIBS-CDMA achieves multiuser-interference (MUI) free reception within each cell. This paper focuses on the cellular downlink configuration and compares CIBS-CDMA against the conventional direct-sequence (DS) CDMA system, which relies on a chip equalizer to restore code orthogonality and, subsequently, suppresses MUI by despreading. We provide a unifying framework for both systems and investigate their performance in the presence of intercell interference and soft-handoff operation. Extensive comparisons from load, performance, complexity, and flexibility perspectives illustrate the merits, along with the disadvantages, of CIBS-CDMA over DS-CDMA, and reveal its potential for future wireless systems.