Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA): CDMA is a technique used to allow

multiple users to share the same channel to transmit their data using the
whole bandwidth at the same time. CDMA employs the spread spectrum
technique which is used to spread the data on the whole bandwidth.

Figure (1) multiple access

we can see from figure (1) that in the CDMA case all the users use the
same frequency band at the same time, where the only thing that
discriminates each user from the others is its unique code, not like the TDMA
and FDMA techniques where in TDMA case the spectrum is divided into time
slots and in each time slot just one user can transmit or receive. While in
FDMA case fixed carrier frequency is assigned to each user terminal.If we
take an example for people in a room (channel) that want to speak
(communicate) with each other without confusion. They have to either take a
turns to speak ( this is analogy to TDMA) or they can speak at different
pitches ( this is an alnalogy to FDMA). Also there is another approach that
they can speak at the same time using the same pitches but using different
languages where each group speak with their own language (this is analogy
to CDMA).

There are many advantages with CDMA technique that make it the most
widely used nowadays. It is used in the third generation of mobile
communication (UMTS) and many other applications. However, there are
mainly three types of CDMA spread spectrum:
1- Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS).
2- Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS).
3- Time Hopping Spread Spectrum (THSS).
For the purpose of our project we will concentrate on the first one (Direct
Sequence Spread Spectrum.
The Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technique :
In this technique a locally generated code with a high data rate is simply
multiplied with the data to be transmitted. The figure (2) shows how spread
spectrum signal is generated. The data signal with high pulse duration (low bit rate)
is multiplied by the code signal with low pulse duration (high bit rate). As we can
see the bandwidth of the generated spread spectrum signal is much larger than the
bandwidth of the original signal.

Figure (2) spreading User1 data at

transmitter side

At the transmiter side the data which will be transmited is multiplied

by a spreading sequence code ( Each user uses a different code to modulate his
signal). As a result, the energy of the original signal is spreaded on the
spectrum. Then after the spreading process, it will be added with other
spreaded data from other users. Finaly the composed signal is modulated to
be transmitted.
At the receiver side, the receiver will receive all the transmitted signals
mixed together, but by using the right code sequence it can extract the
required signal and the rest signals are considered as a background noise. To
be able to perform the de spreading process successfully, there are two
conditions should be satisfied, the first one is the receiver should know the
sequence code of the wanted signal and the other one is that the locally
generated sequence code should be synchronized with the sequence code of
the received signal to satisfy auto correlation, which means that the locally
generated code matches the received signal code and then the wanted
signal will be extracted.
Now for example if there are two users (A and B) want to send their data.
The code of user A is (+1, -1, -1, +1) and User B code is (+1, -1, -1, +1).
User A after spreading
Spreading sequence = +1 -1 +1 -1, the spreaded signal= +a a +a a
User B after spreading
Spreading sequence = +1 -1 -1 +1, the spreaded signal = +b b -b +b
The composite signal is the sum of the two signals = (+a+b) (-a-b) (+a-b) (a+b)
The receiver reapplies sequence
Extracting user A data with the spreading sequence = +1 -1 +1 -1
Therefore +1 x (+a+b) =
+a +b
-1 x (-a -b) =
+a +b
+1 x (+a-b) =
+a -b
Extracting
data
with
Therefore user
+1
= the spreading sequence = +1 -1 -1 +1
-1xBx(+a+b)
(-a+b)
+a+b
-1 x (-a -b) =
+a+b
-1 x (+a-b) =
-a +b

 Sklar, Bernard (2001). Digital Communications: Fundamentals and Applications (Second ed.). Prentice-Hall
PTR..
^ Rappaport, Theodore S. (2002). Wireless Communcations, Principles and Practice. Prentice-Hall, Inc.