CORDIS Archive

New Mobility Actions between ESPRIT and ACTS

Technologies for flexible access to Mobile Multimedia Services

In this perspective 3 new ACTS (starting in March 98) and 3 new ESPRIT (started in January 98) projects will be running until 2000 focussed on providing technologies for flexible access to Mobile Multimedia Services.

The 3 ESPRIT projects are: M3A, PROMURA, SLATS

M3A

The M3A project concerns "significant advances to nomadic appliances applications and systems" by using current advanced technology and aims to bind the three different kinds of networks (GSM, DAB, HyperLAN) all together and make them work transparently to a browser.

The M3A project will provide UMTS like services, help in gaining experience and understanding of the user reaction. It will also help to concentrate on the Network and Terminal technology by exploiting the existing and the Agent technology, in order to produce a compact realistic terminal.

The M3A Consortium consists of :

• The Technology Partnership Co.
• BT Research Labs
• Dassault Electronic
• SGS Thomson microelectronics
• Robert Bosch Multimedia Systeme
• Teracom

It will be implemented in three phases:

1st & 2nd integration phase, and a
3rd phase during which the Trials and Measurements will take place.

The M3A project has started at the January 1 1998 and will end by March 31 2000.

PROMURA (PROgrammable Multimode Radio for Multimedia Wireless Terminals)

PROMURA is the first step towards evolution of Multi-Band and Multimode Markets, which will lead to the production of Multimedia Wireless Terminals supporting UMTS, TD-CDMA and WB-CDMA. The main project objective is to develop a prototype of programmable RF System that will support TDMA & CDMA Wideband -RF architecture and to develop H/W blocks for WB-Radio solution by using the BipSiGe advantages.

The main project challenges are the following :

• integration in BICMOS process
• validation of critical building blocks
• validation of complete system feasibility (e.g. WB-antenna)
• verification of global system performance through test benches

The PROMURA-project has started on the 1/1/98 and has a duration of 24 months.

The project's Consortium consists of:

• SGS THOMSON Microelectronics
• THOMSON CSF Communication
• Matra Communication
• Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits.

For further information contact Mr. Christian Politano.

SLATS (S/w Libraries for Advanced Terminal Solutions)

The SLATS project is developing S/W libraries for S/W Radio Applications for both 2nd and 3rd generation systems and for a range of platforms.

The project consists of two phases:

• Phase A : Definition of requirements for Libraries
• Phase B : S/W Development of the Libraries

The results which will be available in the first quarter of 2000, will enable potential developers of S/W Radio Systems to rapidly prototype and develop S/W- Radio-Applications.

Project's Consortium is formed by:

• ERA project managers,
• CSEM,
• CSELT and
• Kurtosis

The project has started from January 1998 and will run until January 2000.

For further information contact Mr. Adam Drewer.

The 3 ACTS projects are: SORT, RAISIN, SUNBEAM

SORT (Software Radio Technologies)

The SORT's project main objective is the realization of a flexible and efficient S/W Programmable Radio which requires Adaptive Radio Access and more flexible and efficient process architectures. Mainly, the SORT project which is highly connected to the SINUS-project, aims to the implementation of an Air I/F Model and an Adaptive Transceiver Architecture.

The project will evolve in three phases :

• 1. System study which is the study of the functional architecture and DSP models, taking into account the operating constraints and the available S/W and H/W technology.
• 2. Study & Design of Critical Functionalities which will be the architectural Study and Algorithm Description that will be simulated on PC and extrapolated to real product, and finally implementation on reconfigurable H/W.
• 3. Implementation of Demonstrator. The Demonstrator architecture involves signal generation, real-time processing - which will be the focus of the project -, and demonstrator H/W.)

Finally validation of he results will be needed, as well as suitable management of the project and support activities from other projects.

The project Consortium consists of:

• CSELT,
• SINTEF,
• Alcatel SEL,
• Alcatel Espace,
• France Telecom/CNET,
• University of Surrey.

• For further information contact Mr. Pierre Henrio from Alcatel.

  RAISIN (RAINbow extenSion for trial INtegration)

  RAINBOW extension.

  Two subjects where focused :

  • RAINBOW Demonstrator & FRAMES,
  • Integration with the IP context.
  The current project uses the upper layer from Rainbow Demonstrator on top of the lower layers from FRAMES. The joint Demonstration with FRAMES uses the 3rd generation radio I/F available from FRAMES and tests on it the concept of radio dependencies, while the IP demonstration in RAINBOW concerns the integration of UMTS with the Internet world. Four types of accesses will be investigated (two GSM & DECT and two emulated). The Demonstrator Functional Architecture avoids or disconnects real-time emulator and uses the FRAMES emulator.

  While RAINBOW implements a connection-oriented approach with a remote access to the 'home' Internet Service Provider (ISP) via the fixed network (UMTS and IP are separated), on the other hand RAISIN will implement a connection-oriented approach with a local-access to a local ISP via the UMTS network. Therefore the RAISIN project will allow the user to access the local Internet Provider when he's abroad, and it also allows the UMTS Operator to be an Internet Provider.

  The RAISIN project will introduce within the UMTS Mobility Server IP Service. This means that the connection-oriented transport will be used until the first UMTS Server is found in the network, and from that point on there will be radio-access of the IP world. So it is still a connection-oriented approach but only to the mobile systems.

  Another subject of study within RAISIN is the extension of the inter-local Exchange case.

  The RAISIN project promotes the UMTS/Internet integration through handling of both CO & CL approaches in an integrated way, by using IP as an interworking protocol within UMTS.

  SUNBEAM (Smart Universal BEAM forming)

  The objectives of the project are to study flexible air I/F adaptive antenna base station architectures that will support 3rd and 2nd generation air I/Fs, and to develop RF components and key enabling technologies for flexible multi-standard base station beam-forming architectures, including S/W re-configurable RF components.

  The SUNBEAM project will work closely with the SORT project in order to deliver "joint deliverables".

  The SUNBEAM project will investigate technology components for the future base-stations, and extensive DSP techniques in order to implement S/W functionalities. It will also define Flexible Adaptive Antenna Base station Architecture in order to generate for roadmaps for the 3rd generation systems.

  The SUNBEAM Consortium is composed by:

  • ERA Technology Ltd.
  • Bosch Telecom
  • Motorola European Cellular Infrastructure Division
  • University of Aalborg
  • Wireless Systems International
  • France Telecom
  • Thomson CSF Communications (DSP technology)
  • University of Bristol (RF technology)
  • Universitat Politechnica de Catalunya
  For more information, please contact S.Ponnekandi (Project Manager - ERA Technology Ltd.)

  By N. Katsanou and Alma Pantazi, NCSR "D", 27.02.98