TURBO PRODUCT CODES BASED ON CONVOLUTIONAL CODES

ABSTRACT — In this article we introduce a new class of product codes based on convolutional codes, convolutional product codes (CPCs). The structure of product codes en-ables parallel decoding which can significantly increase de-coder speed in practice. The use of convolutional codes in a product code setting lays the ground for utilizing all the flexibility and vast knowledge base for convolutional codes in fast parallel decoders. Interleaving turns out to be criti-cal for the performance of convolutional product codes just as in turbo codes. The practical decoding advantages over serially concatenated convolutional codes are emphasized. I