In this paper, we propose a novel frequency-hopping scheme in order to improve the BER (Bit Error Rate) performance of the Partial Block MC-CDMA (PB/MC-CDMA) system. The joint carrier distribution and frequency hopping (JDFH) scheme achieves the optimal frequency diversity gain while avoiding interference. By contrast, the conventional FH scheme only avoids interference, and the frequency interleaving scheme achieves only frequency diversity. The JDFH scheme thus performs better than conventional schemes, such as carrier FH, block FH, or frequency interleaving. Through computer simulations, we confirmed the superior performance of the PB/MC-CDMA system when using the JDFH scheme.

We design a unified multicarrier (UMC) system for wideband communication. The proposed scheme can provide an effective and unified method that can implement a wideband CDMA system with high spectrum efficiency and flexibility because of the free selection of system parameters and a double spreading in the time and frequency domains. Also, separation of the spectrums carrying the same data to further ensure the independent fading between subcarriers is performed, that is, subcarriers are interleaved in the frequency domain. This frequency interleaving mitigates the effect of ISI and ICI. We also theoretically analyze the performance of the UMC system by deriving the closed-form solution for probability of bit error in a frequency selective Rayleigh fading channel. The analysis has proved that the UMC system has outperformed the conventional single carrier CDMA system under given conditions.

In downlink MC-CDMA, orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF) codes can be used to allow multirate communications while maintaining the orthogonality among the users with different data rates. In this paper, we point out that simple selection of the OVSF codes results in degraded performance. We show that this happens because simple code selection results in power concentration over certain consecutive subcarriers; severe power loss in the received signal occurs when these subcarriers experience a deep fade in a frequency selective fading channel. In addition, we show two effective techniques to avoid the performance degradation: random code selection and frequency interleaving; which technique provides a better performance depends on modulation level, code multiplexing order, and presence of channel coding.