Software Defined Radio: Enabling Technologies

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Protocols and Network Aspects of SDR

Klaus Moessner

University of Surrey and Virtual Centre of Excellence in Mobile and Personal Communications

Visions for systems beyond 3G foresee software defined radio as one of the core enablers of seamless service provision across the boundaries of different wireless transmission platforms. Such visions (e.g. [1]), assume the use of different types of network [2] ranging from fixed (e.g. xDSL) connections via short range wireless (PAN/VAN/HAN) schemes, wireless LANs and cellular radio networks to broadcast systems and beyond. Accessing such a variety of different networks will require highly flexible mobile terminals – a capability expected to be provided by software defined radios. However, not only do the air interface transmission schemes of the aforementioned network access technologies differ, but so do the protocol stacks deployed in each of these access networks.

The visions of future communication systems also foresee interconnection of these different access networks using IP-based core networks, the concept being to support every variety of network–air interface with a common transport, signaling, and service provision platform. Apart from connectivity via such an IP-based core network, the single access networks will need to provide a support infrastructure for the reconfiguration of software defined terminals. Reference [3] outlines three major requirements to be provided through such ‘access support and core-network’ integration: ...