Sparse code multiple access(SCMA) is a novel non-orthogonal multiple access technology considered as a key component in 5G air interface design. In SCMA, the incoming bits are directly mapped to multi-dimensional constellation vectors known as SCMA codewords, which are then mapped onto blocks of physical resource elements in a sparse manner. The number of codewords that can be non-orthogonally multiplexed in each SCMA block is much larger than the number of resource elements therein, so the system is overloaded and can support larger number of users. The joint optimization of multi-dimensional modulation and low density spreading in SCMA codebook design ensures the SCMA receiver to recover the coded bits with high reliability and low complexity. The flexibility in design and the robustness in performance further prove SCMA to be a promising technology to meet the 5G communication demands such as massive connectivity and low latency transmissions. Sparse code multiple access (SCMA) is a novel non-orthogonal multiple access technology as a key component in 5G air interface design. In SCMA, the incoming bits are directly mapped to multi-dimensional constellation vectors known as SCMA codewords, which are then mapped onto blocks of physical resource elements in a sparse manner. The number of codewords that can be non-orthogonally multiplexed in each SCMA block is much larger than the number of resource elements therein, so the system is overloaded and can support larger number of users The joint optimization of multi-dimensional modulation and low density spreading in SCMA codebook design ensures the SCMA receiver to recover the coded bits with high reliability and low complexity. The flexibility in design and the robustness in performance and prove prove SCMA to be a promising technology to meet the 5G communication such求 such as massive connectivity and low latency transmissions.