Steven J. Crowley, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Recently
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review VoIP-related patent http://bit.ly/b9qkrc
3G Americas publishes status report on 3GPP specification development: HSPA+, LTE/SAE, and LTE-Advanced
3G Americas, a group promoting the deployment of the GSM family of technologies, yesterday released its annual report on 3GPP specifications and the 3G/4G wireless market. The report reviews the history of 3GPP specification development since 1995, and places current work in context.
The 240-page report focuses mostly on the latest 3GPP specification releases:
- Release 8 includes enhancements to High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) as well as the new Long Term Evolution (LTE) air interface and Evolved Packet Core (EPC) system architecture. (EPC is sometimes used interchangeably with System Architecture Evolution (SAE), to refer to the evolved flatter-IP core network.) The specifications for Release 8 are basically stable.
- Release 9 is nearing completion and will add features and improved performance for HSPA+ and LTE. It includes enhancements for MIMO, downlink beamforming, emergency services, location services, and more.
- Release 10 work is underway. It covers LTE-Advanced in support of ITU-R’s IMT-Advanced requirements. The IMT-Advanced process, as it relates to 3GPP, is described. The report looks at technologies for Release 10 and beyond, including enhanced uplink and downlink transmission schemes, spectrum aggregation in support of wider bandwidths, machine-to-machine communications, and enhancements to aid fixed-mobile convergence.
The report also looks at how growth in wireless data applications is driving the development of new networks.
This is helpful information for those wanting to know the state of HSPA+ and LTE today, along with associated core-network issues. Those involved more in other wireless systems might still benefit from the discussions of wireless market trends and emerging radio technologies.
Progress toward an LTE/SAE patent pool
Sisvel announces it is working with 20 companies to try to form a patent pool for 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and System Architecture Evolution (SAE). It invites other companies to participate. Urgent Communications has a take on this from a public safety perspective, and notes MPEG LA and Via Licensing are also trying to form patent pools. VIA Licensing may soon announce the status of its progress.
Electronic news gathering and the iPhone
The equipment for electronic news gathering started as transportable, transitioned to portable, and is going personal. Frank Beacham looks at the irony of video technology breakthroughs coming at a time of struggle in traditional television news. He questions the role of skilled reporting and analysis in the forthcoming glut of on-location video.
Google patent application: Estimating wireless device location using measured data rates
Location-based services are reaching beyond navigation and E911. Social networking, advertising, and other emerging applications are driving research and development into better technologies in support of these services, starting with the location estimation process itself.
Today, there are several ways to determine the location of a wireless device in a network. As a rough estimate, the device knows the identification of the base station or access point with which it is associated. That’s a start, but a base station can cover a wide area. To refine that, devices can use GPS. Networks of cellular base stations can measure differences in the timing or signal strength of an uplink signal, and use the results to estimate location. MAC addresses of Wi-Fi access points can be sniffed and mapped by roving monitors. Sometimes, two or more of these techniques are used in concert.
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Progress in wireless light communications at Penn State
Penn State issues a press release on its latest research in wireless light communications. One thing new seems to be the ability to get high bit rates (>1 Gbps) without a line-of-sight path, using multiple elements on the transmitters and receivers. For best results, avoid dark decorating schemes.
3DTV standards development in SMTPE, ITU, and the U.K.’s Digital TV Group
Television Broadcast reports on the status of 3DTV standards development around the world.
Experimental Radio Applications at the FCC
This summarizes a selection of applications for Experimental Radio license, and for Special Temporary Authority, received by the FCC during January 21-25: radar, spacecraft telemetry, cognitive radio, modulation/demodulation techniques.
Raytheon Missile Systems files an application and supporting exhibit requesting Special Temporary Authority to use Freewave radios on an aircraft in support of a test to verify the accuracy and effectiveness of aircraft radar. The plan is to transmit the position information from the tracked aircraft to the tracking aircraft, and verify that the position information determined by the radar is in sync with the actual position of the tracked aircraft. (1.35-1.39 GHz)
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Siemens announces wireless data transfer at 500 Mbps using visible light
Siemens issued a press release announcing the wireless transmission of data at 500 Mbps at a range of 5 meters using a white LED, breaking the previous record of 200 Mbps. The variation of light intensity used to modulate the data is imperceptible to the human eye. Siemens sees practical applications where such a system could be used to transmit data via ceiling lights when WLAN radio frequencies are congested.
Experimental Radio Applications at the FCC
This summarizes a selection of applications for Experimental Radio license, and for Special Temporary Authority, received by the FCC during January 14-20: VSAT for Haiti, helicopter surveillance in Chicago, WiMAX, wideband at high frequencies, avionics, cell phone jamming, and radar.
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Satellite companies see usage surge in Haiti
Urgent Communications reports on increased satellite traffic from Haiti. Iridium usage is up 18,000%, in part because of it having palettes of satellite products ready to be shipped for its response-agency customers.
FCC Upholds Waiver of its Rules to Permit Airport Body Scanners on 24.25-30 GHz
Mitchell Lazarus looks at a recent FCC decision that permits continued use of body scanners over the objections of a communications company.
The Challenge of Developing 3D TV Standards
What works in the theater doesn’t necessarily work on TV. Issues include bandwidth, captions, subtitles, and metadata. Television Broadcast looks at some of the challenges faced by the SMPTE 3D Standards Working Group.
Experimental Radio Applications at the FCC
This is a summary of experimental radio applications received by the FCC during January 11-13, 2010: unmanned aircraft, nuclear reactor communications, aerial surveillance, WiMAX, landslide monitoring, antenna testing, and more.
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