On frequency domain equalization for MC-CDMA in Nakagami fading channels

In this letter, we evaluate the performance of multicarrier code division multiple access (MC-CDMA) in terms of average bit error probability (BEP) in Nakagami fading channels. The results are applicable to MC-CDMA systems employing coherent demodulation with maximal-ratio combining (MRC) or equal gain combining (EGC) reception. The effects of fading parameters and number of users are presented. The accuracy of the proposed analysis is demonstrated by computer simulations. The BEP performance of the EGC receiver in the uplink is highly influenced by the fading parameter compared with that of the MRC receiver. The EGC receiver outperforms the MRC receiver in the downlink, but the MRC receiver gives almost the same performance as the EGC in the uplink. Copyright # 2004 AEI.