Zero forcing and minimum mean-square-error equalization for multiuser detection in code-division multiple-access channels

In code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems transmitting over time-varying multipath channels, both intersymbol interference (ISI) and multiple-access interference (MAI) arise. The conventional suboptimum receiver consisting of a bank of matched filters is often inefficient because interference is treated as noise. The optimum multiuser detector is too complex to be implemented at present. In this paper, four suboptimum detection techniques based on zero forcing (ZF) and minimum mean-square error (MMSE) equalization with and without decision feedback (DF) are presented and compared. They combat both ISI and MAI. The computational complexity of all four equalizers is essentially the same. All four equalizers are independent of the size of the data symbol alphabet. It is shown that the performance of the MMSE equalizers is better than that of the corresponding ZF equalizers. Furthermore, the performance of the equalizers with DF is better than that of the corresponding equalizers without DF. The impairing effect of error propagation on the equalizers with DF is reduced by channel sorting.