Spread spectrum signaling in wireless communications

Abstract

Spread spectrum (SS) techniques are a family of modulation techniques whereby the transmitted signal occupies a much larger bandwidth than is typically needed in traditional narrowband communications. While initially designed for military applications, SS techniques have more recently enjoyed commercial applications as well. This chapter gives an overview of SS and code division multiple access (CDMA) and particularly focuses on their application to wireless communication channels. Spread spectrum’s ability to provide robustness to many forms of interference is demonstrated, details of typical implementations of SS systems are covered, and an overview is given of how SS is used in modern cellular communication systems.