SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIO FORUM MAKES TECHNOLOGY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 700 MHZ SPECTRUM

DENVER, CO, Dec. 10, 2007 -- The Software Defined Radio (SDR) Forum, (www.sdrforum.org), a nonprofit international industry association supporting the advancement of reconfigurable wireless technology, has issued a report identifying how SDR and cognitive radio technology can facilitate implementing a nationwide interoperable broadband network in the 700 MHz spectrum that conforms to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations.

Initiated by the Forum's Public Safety Special Interest Group (SIG) and prepared by an ad hoc committee, the 21-page report ("Technology Considerations and Recommendations for Software Defined Radio Technologies for the 700 MHz Public/Private Partnership") cites the upcoming auction and licensing of the 700 MHz spectrum as a unique opportunity to fulfill the growing demand for spectrum resources for commercial and public safety broadband applications.

The report notes that the FCC has adopted the strictest ever build-out rules for wireless services and established rules to govern the partnership between commercial carriers and the public safety community in sharing spectrum and network resources. Though it acknowledges that improving public safety communications through sharing resources with a commercial system is an innovative concept for using the new 700 MHz spectrum, the report recognizes the challenges that implementing the proposed network presents. Derived from the FCC requirements, the challenges include meeting the divergent needs of commercial and public safety users; coverage; shared operational control; robustness; adaptability; and spectrum use in the absence of network build-out.

Along with the challenges, the new supply of spectrum and the associated regulations also present new opportunities for spectrum access and deployment of wireless networks, the report says, adding: "The Forum believes that SDR, cognitive radio and dynamic spectrum access technology are a vital component of a system design providing the robustness, flexibility and efficiencies necessary to meet the FCC's expectations and the communications needs of a wide range of users."

The Forum report offers specific examples of how these technologies can be used to address critical implementation challenges of systems that meet the FCC's defined service rules. One such approach incorporates SDR, cognitive radio and dynamic spectrum access technologies - in both the system infrastructure and subscriber units - to provide a highly flexible network solution that can meet diverse requirements and develop in concert with technology and operational evolution.

"The public/private partnership for the nationwide broadband network is a significant departure from the way public safety communications network have been deployed in the past and presents new challenges to ensure that the vision is fully realized," said Fred Frantz, chair of the Forum's Public Safety SIG. "This report shows how evolving SDR technologies, including capabilities developed by the Forum's member companies, are key to meeting these challenges."

More information is available by contacting info@sdrforum.org.

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.

Editorial Contacts

Lee Pucker, SDR Forum, 604-828-9846, Lee.Pucker@SDRForum.org or
Neal Leavitt, Leavitt Communications, 760-639-2900 or 760-212-9112, neal@leavcom.com

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