Presented by: Dr. Mamoun M. A. Suliman

1. SDR as Supportive Technology for Infrastructure Sharing Presented by: Dr. Mamoun M. A. Suliman Associate Professor, Dept. of Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering, Sudan University of Science and Technology Infrastructure sharing & LLU Workshop , ITU Center of Excellence 27-29 MARCH-Khartoum-Sudan

2. …. Motto …. • Anywhere • Anytime • Anywho . . .

3. Contents • Definitions • Regulatory Issues and Concepts • SDR and Infrastructure Sharing • Regulatory issues of SDR • Contribution of SDR in Infrastructure Sharing • Conclusion & Future Recommendations

4. Overview • A Software-Defined Radio (SDR) system is a radio communication system where components that have typically been implemented in hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors. etc.) are instead implemented using software on a personal computer or other embedded computing devices. • This technology offers greater flexibility and potentially longer product life, since the radio can be upgraded very cost- effectively with software.

5. Definitions Software Defined Radio;  A radio system in which radio frequency operating parameters including, frequency range, modulation type, or output power, can be set or altered by making a change in software, after the normal installation process and without making any changes to hardware components. Cognitive Radio; A radio system that is aware of its environment and internal state and can make decisions about, and adjust, its operating characteristics based on this information and predefined objectives. Telecom Ifrastructure Sharing; Among Telecom service providers, TIS is becoming the requirement and process of business in the telecom industry where competitors are becoming partners in order to lower their increasing investments. The degree and method of infrastructure sharing can vary in each country depending on regulatory and competitive climate.

6. Different Terms • Digital Radio; the baseband signal processing is invariably implemented on a DSP. • Software Radio;an ideal SR directly samples the antenna output. • Software Defined Radio;SDR is a presently realizable version of SR. • Cognitive Radio;combines SDR with a CE to get the feature of self configuration.

7. Basic SDR Ideal SDR Architecture

8. Benefits of SDR • Manufactures • Grouping of H/W platform sets • Cost reduction • Ability to S/W improvements • Operators • New services • Services upgrades on existing systems • Flexible coverage / Dynamic Frequency Allocation • Customers • Services personalization • Improve roaming • Reduction of CPE Obsolescence

9. Telecom Infrastructure Sharing The immense growth of the telecom industry brings its own pitfalls with it. Growing call traffic, limited bandwidth and a limited number of cell towers have all combined to lead to a state of affairs wherein poor network coverage by most operators is a matter of fact. One way to solve this problem, the brute force method, would be to set up more towers. At present about 90,000 towers cater to 136 million wireless subscribers.

10. Sharing Aspects • Passive Infrastructure sharing ; share non-electronic infrastructure at cell site. • Active Infrastructure; sharing electronic infrastructure. • Spectrum Sharing; concept is based on a lease model and is often termed ‘spectrum trading’. An operator can lease a part of its spectrum to another operator on commercial terms. • Base station; logical Node B that will be able to operate the frequencies assigned to the carrier, fully independent from the partner operator and retains control over active base station equipment such as the TRXs that control reception/transmission over radio channels. • Site sharing; includes antennas and mast. • RNC (Radio Network Controller) sharing represents maintaining logical control over the RNC of each operator independently. • MSC and Routers sharing or backbone sharing includes sharing of switches (MSC) and routers (SGSN) on the operator's fixed network.

11. Regulatory Concepts • There are four broad areas of inquiry that comprise common areas of foundation information about SDR that are applicable on a global basis of regulatory review; • Technology • Spectrum Efficiency and Sharing • Specifications and Type Approval • Interoperability

12. Technology • It is evident that SDR is sufficiently developed to move forward with the introduction of regulation, or the modification or removal of regulations as the case may be, to allow SDR products to enter the marketplace. • SDR becomes real specially with the rapid increase of Microprocessor’s processing power and speed.

13. Spectrum Efficiency and Sharing • Spectrum; is a basic natural resource. However Radio Spectrum has some specific characteristics: • Can be Reused. • Various parts depend on propagation characteristics. • Telecommunication market is increasing dramatically, specially on mobile/wireless, and the Consequence of that is: • Scarcity of Radio Spectrum is Increasing

14. Cont. . . • It is common to think that SDR as a new radio implementation technology could help radio spectrum users and regulators to get the most out of any given set of spectrum allocations. • The answer, • “ Critical deployed mass ”

15. Specifications and Type Approval • SDR terminal will just download the software required by a specific system and then act as any terminal of that system. • The problems is; • Ability to modify the software of a radio after manufacturing/licensing. • Intellectual Propriety Rights. • So, what the type approval process will actually approve ? • H/W platform, S/W, OR every possible Combination in-between.

16. Cont. . . • The prospect of an evolving radio platform raises questions about type approval. In remarks before the SDR Forum, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) described type certification of software radios as presenting “regulatory issues.” These include the following: • 1. For which service(s) is an SDR approved ? • 2. Is a new approval needed for each change to an already approved SDR unit ? • 3. How does the FCC enforce the equipment authorization rules for SDRs ? • 4. How can an unauthorized use of an SDR be prevented ?

17. Interoperability • SDR doesn't develop new services, nor changing protocols, it’s just alternative way of designing existing systems with the concept of platform sharing. • The practical aspects of the wide scale use of SDR as an interoperability mechanism must recognize that there must be a sufficient ‘critical mass’ of SDR-capable equipment for all impacted services being deployed in the marketplace over time. • There is a learning curve and a transition period that must be acknowledged.

18. Conclusion & Future Recommendations • Spectrum Sharing is the answer to Scarcity in Licensed Spectrum Utilization. • SDR opens the door to more flexible, efficient, and less-expensive radio equipment that allows spectrum-sharing. • With the rapid advancement in microprocessor speed and memory size, SDR could bridge the gap related to high performance inherent in hardware-radios.. • ……….

19. References Paul Burns, Software Defined Radio for 3G, Artech House mobile communications series, 2002 ISBN 1-58053-347-7. Liu Xiaoli, Design of Software-Based GPS/Galileo Receiver Ali Behboodian, Model-Based Design Xcell Publications Dick Benson, The Design and Implementation of a GPS Receiver Channel www.mathworks.com http://www.xilinx.com/esp/wireless/ http://www.Altera.com http://www.sdrforum.org/ www.mathworks.com

20. Thank You