The so-called irreducible error due to frequency-selective fading is known to have a serious effect on mobile radio communication systems. Thus, the analysis of such errors is a prerequisite for making high-speed digital signal transmission over a fading channel feasible. The authors attempted to elucidate the physical mechanisms causing such errors using laboratory measurements of microscopic bit error rate. The results clarified some sources of burst errors in a multipath fading channel. In particular, large and rapid timing fluctuations of eye pattern due to severe delay distortion of the multipath channel was found to be the most dominant source of error.>

This paper describes a new modulation technique called DSK (double phase-shift keying) which shows an interesting antimultipath feature over mobile frequency-selective fading environments. The effect of this technique is shown for various multipath channels by detection waveform and theoretical bit error rate (BER) analyses. A result obtained from a laboratory test is also presented. In the latter part of the paper, a generalized form of DSK is described and extensive investigations are made so as to clarify the anti-multipath effect of DSK in view of the diversity concept and to further explore the possibility of a narrowband scheme. A major result shows that this technique can give a kind of diversity effect which is implicit in the arrival of signals via multiple paths with different delays.

After a short historical sketch of mobile communications in Japan, technical problems and future prospects are described. The peculiarities characteristic of mobile communication include complicated radio propagation and requirements for continuous communication and determination of mobile subscribers' location. This paper discusses major problems of future mobile communication, for example, radio propagation, controlling, and switching and radio equipment involved in meeting the future demands of a large number of subscribers over widespread service areas. Effective use of an electronic switching system will enable the mobile communication network to be integrated with existing fixed communication networks.