Applying MTC and Femtocell Technologies to the Continua Health Reference Architecture

摘要

The Continua reference architecture is increasingly becoming the de facto framework for implementation of personal telehealth system. So far, the Continua guidelines have specified the use of personal or local area network technologies (Bluetooth, USB, ZigBee) for personal health device connectivity within the monitored person's local environment. However, there is growing interest in machine-type communications (MTC) and femtocell home gateways within the mobile communications domain, which could impact the implementation of systems for home services, such as, personal telehealth. Against this backdrop, this paper analyzes the potential added value, as well as challenges, in augmenting personal telehealth systems with Continua-compliant MTC personal health devices with integrated 3GPP interfaces (GPRS, HSPA, LTE etc.) and operating in a femtocell home network environment.