Cognitive Radio Seen as Essential Enabler of Key Wireless Trends in Commercial, Public Safety and Military Markets, According to New SDR Forum Study.

CR Technology Promises to Achieve Vision of "Multimedia Wireless Services Anywhere, Anytime and with Any Device"

DENVER -- With the rapid emergence of cognitive radio (CR), this hot-button technology promises to achieve the vision of multimedia wireless services anywhere, anytime and with any device, according to a new study commissioned by the Software Defined Radio (SDR) Forum (www.sdrforum.org), a nonprofit international industry association for reconfigurable wireless technology. A cognitive radio intelligently determines which communication channels are in use and automatically switches to an unoccupied channel.

Prepared by noted technology consultant Jim Gunn, a specialist in digital wireless and multimedia communications, the 62-page study - "The Cognitive Radio Market" - provides a comprehensive look at the technology that many industry stakeholders identify as an essential enabling technology to achieve future goals in key wireless industry market segments, including the commercial, public safety and military sectors.

The study envisions that in the developing CR era, purchases of cellular phones, PDAs, laptops, and other devices will be motivated by user applications such as mobile TV, wireless web access, and games, in addition to those involving voice. It further predicts that CR will be a substantial product and application differentiator and that those who embrace the technology "should be positioned for superior market successes."

According to the report, the key near-term goals for CR are spectrum efficiency - it estimates improvements ranging from 3-10% - and spectrum availability to support emerging requirements and market opportunities. The longer-term goal is cognitive capability, enhanced through SDR technology, not only for spectrum efficiency, enhanced regulatory effectiveness, licensing and spectrum management purposes but also for adaptively anticipating and accommodating user needs.

The commercial markets for wireless technologies are clearly the largest for SDR and CR, in terms of both units shipped and revenues, the report finds. The key opportunities in this sector entail improved spectrum efficiency and availability as well as cognitive capabilities for network and terminal configurations to support emerging triple/quadruple play, multimedia and multi-radio initiatives.

In terms of public safety, the report acknowledges the SDR Forum's Public Safety special interest group's ongoing activities to develop use cases for CR applications. It points to several opportunities for improved interoperability - a most critical issue - including planned broadband capabilities that will require spectrum resource optimization and user terminal configuration. Underscoring that in disasters, normal infrastructures may not be available for relaying communication, the study adds that the ease of use enabled by SDR and CR is especially vital, as public safety personnel must focus on their primary, often stressful missions.

Addressing the military market, the report cites the U.S. Department of Defense JTRS program involving mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) that will have very fluid RF and networking adaptive requirements. "Sufficient spectrum for emerging multimedia services is a big concern. MANETs, white space and data bases are CR-centric solutions proposed to increase spectrum efficiency and capacity and create flexible spectrum access and network solutions. Ease of use is an essential requirement, and CR is well positioned to achieve these goals."

The report also discusses regulatory issues, including the FCC's initiative on new SDR rules and regulations facilitating CR; unlicensed operations in TV bands; a CR spectrum sharing test-bed; and secondary licensing. It notes that regulatory authorities tend to focus on spectrum efficiency, availability and management, recognizing that "technology such as SDR and CR provide best value when market forces, and not excessive regulation, are empowered with potential business incentives to motivate deployments."

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About the SDR Forum

Established in 1996, the SDR Forum is a nonprofit international industry association dedicated to supporting the development and deployment of software defined radio systems that enable flexible and adaptable architectures in advanced wireless systems. Currently numbering some 100 organizations, the Forum's membership spans commercial, defense and civil government organizations, including wireless service providers, network operators, component and equipment manufacturers, hardware and software developers, regulatory agencies, and academia from Asia, Europe, and North America. The SDR Forum's administrative office is headquartered in Denver.