Multilevel coding (MLC) is compared with bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) from a performance-versus-complexity standpoint. In both approaches, complexity-optimized error-reducing inner codes are designed for concatenation with an outer staircase code, assuming signaling with 64-point quadrature amplitude modulation. The codes are designed to achieve various points on the Pareto frontier characterizing the performance-complexity tradeoff. Computer simulations of the resulting codes reveal that the MLC approach (a) provides significant advantages compared to BICM and (b) has a clear edge over an existing MLC proposal, providing a net coding gain of up to 13.6 dB at 28% overall overhead, yet with reasonable decoding complexity.     «

Multilevel coding (MLC) is compared with bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) from a performance-versus-complexity standpoint. In both approaches, complexity-optimized error-reducing inner codes are designed for concatenation with an outer staircase code, assuming signaling with 64-point quadrature amplitude modulation. The codes are designed to achieve various points on the Pareto frontier characterizing the performance-complexity tradeoff. Computer simulations of the resulting codes reveal...     »