Next generation wireless multimedia systems
When designing wireless communications, current practice tends to be more technology driven rather than service driven, focusing on evolving the current state-of-the-art. In contrast, this EC funded project focused on user requirements to develop innovative terminal and network technologies for future broadband mobile and personal communication systems. More specifically, this project worked on designing reconfigurable terminal platforms based on both user expectations and the underlying enabling technologies. After having evaluated users needs of the reconfigurable platform, the project extensively investigated the subjects of transceiver algorithms including modulation schemes and protocols. The work was based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, which is a form of multiplexing where more than two specifically encoded signals are transmitted on the same radio channel. This spread spectrum communication technology is currently extensively used not only in digital cellular phones, but also in wireless telephony services. Although CDMA technology is widely used in third generation communication systems there are still a lot of interference problems that limit the overall capacity of these systems. Addressing this need the project concentrated on the specialised technique of multi-carrier direct-sequence CDMA (MC DS-CDMA). This is one of the most suitable techniques for a CDMA overlay system aimed to be used in future mobile communication systems. Furthermore, they also focused on providing radio terminals with increased potential for highly efficient and low complex representation of information. The advanced algorithms are expected to enhance current business and personal mobile multimedia communications offering access anywhere and anytime in the most reliable and fast way. Moreover, with the new flexible transceiver systems new service opportunities may arise for giving European industries a competitive edge in the worldwide telecommunications market.
