In this paper, the average bit error probability of uplink and downlink Multicarrier Code Division Multiple Access (MC-CDMA) system using coherent Maximal-Ratio Combining (MRC) and Equal Gain Combining (EGC) receivers is evaluated for frequency selective Nakagami fading channels. The analysis assumes that different subcarriers experience independent fading channels, but not necessary identically distributed. The analysis is based on Gaussian approximation of the multiple access interference. Generalized bit error probability (BEP) expressions for both uplink and downlink with MRC and EGC receivers were derived. The analytical results are supported with simulation results. The effect of fading parameters, number of users, and number of subcarriers were presented. The BEP performance of the EGC receiver in the uplink is highly influenced by the fading parameter compared with 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.

In this paper, we consider a mobile system consisting of a single isolated circular cell with K independent users simultaneously sharing the channel using binary DS-CDMA to establish a full duplex channel with the base station. Both coherent and differential detection RAKE receivers with Maximal Ratio Combining (MRC) techniques are considered. The performance of two uplink/downlink receivers in Nakagami wideband fading channel is studied. Our approach relies on the use of total instantaneous interference power calculations instead of the use of average power approximations. We analyzed and derived new exact formulae for bit error probabilities for the considered system, and presented a set of numerical results both for the exact formulae and Gaussian approximation. The performance comparisons suggest that the exact formulae provide superior performance to Gaussian approximation especially at low number of users and either high fading parameters of the desired user or low fading parameters of the MAIs.