Described embodiments provide a wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) system, that employs an interleaving rule having a modified pruning algorithm. Interleaving, by pruning a sequence of bits in the W-CDMA system, includes determining a non-pruned interleaved vector having a length N. The determination of the non-pruned interleaved vector is based on a received length of an input vector from the sequence of bits. The input vector is padded. An interleaver generates a pre-pruned interleaved vector having a length equal to the length N, wherein the pre-pruned interleaved vector is a function of the padded input vector and the non-pruned interleaving vector. The interleaver prunes one or more elements from the pre-pruned interleaved vector based on a corresponding pruning indication in a pruning indication table, thereby providing a pruned interleaved vector as a portion of the interleaved sequence of bits.