CP-DSSS: An OFDM Compatible Variable Rate Modulation for 5G and Beyond

Cyclic prefix direct sequence spread spectrum (CP-DSSS) is a recently proposed waveform that has been designed for coexistence with OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) in the same or a pair of parallel networks. The first contribution of this paper is to present equations that reveal similarities and differences of CP-DSSS and OFDM. Furthermore, we show that the channel model of CP-DSSS reduces to that of a cyclic prefixed block-wise single carrier modulation (CP-SCM). However, unlike CP-SCM whose symbol rate is always equal to the transmission bandwidth, CP-DSSS can be adopted to any symbol rate equal to or smaller than the transmission bandwidth. This reduction in symbol rate allows CP-DSSS power spectral density to drop to an arbitrarily low level, hence, facilitates it coexistence as a secondary waveform in a network of primary users. The peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of CP-DSSS is also explored and a method for reducing it is proposed.