The Software Defined Radio: A New Technology Challenge

摘要

The software defined radio (SDR) is a "next generation" technology that is already seeing limited use, enabled by recent advances in the computational power and/or power consumption of digital signal processing (DSP) devices. The value of SDR is that it can be reconfigured at any time to match the transmission standards of any communication system. SDR is the ultimate in flexibility, allowing access to multiple standards. For example, it may be implemented in a wireless handset that can operate with any cellular standard. With this technology, true nationwide or worldwide coverage is possible. Improvements and upgrades can also be accommodated by simple software changes that can be automatically downloaded via the service network whenever necessary. A more powerful use of SDR is in adaptive systems. During times of heavy usage, a base station could change to a more spectrum-efficient or interference-resistant mode, instructing each handset to change programming to be compatible. During times of low usage, a mode with wider bandwidth would be available for increased data capabilities or faster Internet access.