Performance tradeoff in multiuser equalization for CDMA over flat channels

We study the bit-error rate (BER) for different code lengths and number of users in CDMA system with linear minimum mean squared error (MMSE) and non-linear equalizations. We first show that for a fix channel and a fix number of users, BER of each symbol after linear equalization degrades with a decrease in the code length. Then, we prove that for a fix code length, the BER averaged over random channels improves with a decrease in the number of users. Furthermore, in the non-linear serial-interference cancellation (SIC) scheme, we prove analytically that the BER improves with each step of symbol cancellation for any channel not just at high signal-to-interference noise ratio (SINR) but at all range of SINR. Simulation results are presented to substantiate our theoretical findings.