A low complexity channel estimation scheme for the WB-CDMA terminal

Channel estimation is of crucial importance for tomorrow's wireless mobile communication systems. However, high-performance algorithms often come at the cost of a high computational complexity, which makes them unsuitable for the terminal equipment. A low-complexity version of an iterative channel estimator is proposed for the third-generation WB-CDMA (wideband code division multiple access) terminal. Its performance compares favorably with that of the original version. Furthermore, a novel criterion for false-path detection is introduced, thus avoiding useless computations being performed later on. Possible improvements are proposed.