NSF Award
0110460
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project has two primary objectives: to continue the research and development of clustered software radio technology begun in the Phase I project, and to use that technology to extend current waveform implementations to a fully functional base station. A high impact application of clustered software radio is for cellular telephone base stations, changing them from fixed hardware devices into flexible software devices that can support multiple commercial standards and also public safety needs. This Phase II project will develop a clustered software radio base station that interoperates with commercial GSM mobile units and switching centers. The goal is a base station sufficiently functional to be deployed in a field trial, which is the necessary next step in commercializing the technology. The project will include innovative technology development in timing control, wideband synthesis, and intra-cluster data transport.<br/><br/>In the telecommunications industry, many foresee that base stations for third-generation wireless systems will be software radios or software-defined radios. The development of clustered software radio technology by Vanu, Inc. for this market will improve interoperability, improve service to underserved rural areas, enable more efficient use of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum, provide substantial public safety benefits, and increase the pace of technological innovation in the wireless communication marketplace. Moreover, the firm's computing architecture has broad application to signal processing problems outside the wireless industry.
