Cognitive Radio Systems and Software Defined Radio

This page gathers information on the activities relating to Cognitive Radio Systems (CRS) and Software Defined Radio (SDR) systems within CEPT

• SE43 
• STG
• WG FM  
• CPG PTA 
• WRC-12
• CPM-11-2 
• ITU-R WP 5D 

• ECC Correspondence Group 
• ETSI TC RSS 
• European corner 
  • EC Framework Programme 7 (FP7) project on the research topic "Cognitive Radio" 
• CEPT meetings  
  
          

 SE43 corner:

SE43 was created at the 53rd meeting of WG SE in Hvar (Croatia). A dedicated page has been created on ECO web site SE43 web page.

The 12^th meeting of SE Project Team 43 was held from 14 to 16 December 2011 in Cambridge at the kind invitation of Microsoft. The meeting was attended by 62 participants who discussed 37 input contributions.

The primary goals of the meeting were:

• to finalise considerations of those issues, which were addressed in the studies and discussed by the group since few meetings;
• to advance with the issues, which have not been considered yet but are addressed in input contributions to this meeting.

The outcome of the discussions on input contributions received as well as the material developed by the previous SE43 meetings served to commence development of complementary reports to ECC Report 159 as requested by WG SE:

• "Further definition of technical and operational requirements for the operation of white space devices  in the band 470-790 MHz";
• "Technical and operational requirements for the operation of white space devices under geo-location approach".

The details of the 12th meeting of SE 43 can be found in its Minutes. 

 STG corner:

The Cognitive Radio (Spectrum Sensing) feature is now implemented in SEAMCAT. Further information on the algorithm and the manual are available here.

WG FM corner:

WG FM at their 74th meeting on 23 - 27 April 2012 in Bern (Switzerland) decided the following:

WGFM agreed on a summary and analysis of the answers to the questionnaire on PMSE protection in case of introduction of WSD in the 470-790 MHz band as well as a related liaison statement to WGSE and SE43.

WGFM established two new work items for the creation of two new ECC Reports:

1.To provide a master set of the overall requirements for all CEPT countries that will be needed to facilitate communication and interaction between a WSD and White Space Data Base;

2.To provide information on issues and requirements that need to be addressed when setting up a geo-location database and/or the management of independent database providers.

The United Kingdom, Germany, France and Denmark supported these new work items in WGFM.

CG CRS is also tasked by WGFM to assess if these work items should be carried out independently of a given frequency band or if they should be limited to the UHF band, and to provide its conclusions on this issue at the next WGFM meeting.

It was further agreed on the management of ASA (Authorised Shared Access) / LSA (Licensed Shared Access) in WGFM and on a first WGFM Report about the ASA/LSA concept.

In addition, WGFM agreed that the definition of LSA from RSPG should be retained at the present time.

WGFM decided to turn the CG CRS into a WGFM Forum Group at the next WGFM meeting.

WGFM agreed concerning the 2.3-2.4 GHz frequency band to work on a new regulatory framework. The LSA concept should be considered. It is expected that a new WGFM Project Team will be established in September 2012.

Detailed information about activity of the CG CRS can be found here.

CPG PTA corner:

CPG-12-7 meeting (Oxford, June 2011) decided to finally adopt draft European Common Proposal (ECP) on a number of Agenda Items including 1.19 of the WRC-12 Conference and to include them to the first set of ECP’s presented to the administrations for co-signature.

The CPG PTA was informed that second meeting of CPG PTE (October 2011) endorsed the proposed ITU-R Resolution [CRS] developed within CPG PTA.

Section dealing with relevant information from outside CEPT was updated within draft Brief on AI 1.19. Draft CEPT Brief on AI 1.19 was approved by CPG PTA.

WRC-12 corner:

Issue A (Software defined radio): COM 6 concluded that no changes to the Radio Regulations are necessary on Issue A and to suppress Resolution 956 (WRC-07).
Issue B (Cognitive Radio): COM 6 concluded that no Changes to the Radio Regulation are necessary on Issue B and to supress Resolution 956 (WRC-07).  Further it has been agreed in COM 6 that there is no need for a WRC-12 Resolution.

Two options were discussed to take the concerns of one region into account:
1)      A text developed at COM 6 level for inclusion in the Report of the Plenary on deployment and use of cognitive radio systems;
2)      A WRC-12 Recommendation.

After further informal exchange of views a compromises was reached between all regions:

• The content of a WRC-12 Recommendation was agreed and adopted at COM 6
• No text will be presented by COM6 to the Plenary for inclusion in the Report of the Plenary on deployment and use of cognitive radio systems.
  
  

The results included into the Final Acts as follows:
Issue A (SDR): NOC and SUP of Resolution 956;
Issue B (CRS): NOC and SUP of Resolution 956, adoption of a WRC Recommendation.

CPM-11-2 held in February 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. CPM text on WRC-12 Agenda item 1.19 was approved by the meeting. The CPM text suggests following options to satisfy WRC-12 AI 1.19:

• for software-defined radio (SDR), the meeting is in agreement that no change (NOC) to the Radio Regulations was needed (issue A, Method A);
• for the issues of cognitive radio systems (CRS) following methods were proposed (issue B, Method B1):
  • Option A:  supports NOC to the Radio Regulations;
  • Option B: is NOC to the Radio Regulations and calls for the development of an ITU-R Resolution to provide a framework in order to facilitate studies on technical and operational considerations related to the implementation of CRS technologies in the radiocommunication services.
  • Issue B, Method B2:
    • add a WRC Resolution to provide a framework for guidance of the studies on technical and operational considerations related to the CRS technologies implemented in any systems of a radiocommunication service (no other changes to the Radio Regulations proposed under Method B2).

Under both methods, Resolution 956 (WRC-07) is proposed to be suppressed.

ITU-R WP5D corner:

Working Party 5D at their meeting in India (12 – 19 October 2011) was able to finalise and agree the draft new Report ITU-R M.[IMT.CRS] ”Cognitive Radio Systems Specific to IMT Systems” .  This was forwarded to Study Group 5 for approval.

Study Group 5 held its meeting in Geneva (21-23 November 2011) and approved ITU-R Report M.2242 “Cognitive Radio Systems specific for IMT Systems”.

ECC Correspondence Group corner:

Doc. ECC(09)136 was introduced by Margit Huhtala, Convener of the Correspondence group on CR at the ECC meeting (26-30 October 2009, Skopje, FYR of Macedonia).  The Document summarises the work done by the group. As requested by the ECC the group has improved the wording of the tasks, added some more explanation in the section concerning applications, taken into account the experience with the pre-cognitive systems, outlined a roadmap with milestones for future work and considered its attribution within the ECC structure. The work done by SE43 and WG FM has also been taken into account. Emphasis was given to the improved Tasks 1 and 2 as well as on the established milestone plan.  The tasks are foreseen as follows:

Task 1: Technical studies/analysis and compatibility issues. 

Task 2: Regulatory mechanisms needed to facilitate introduction of CRS.

Task 3: Further to Task 1 and 2, study, if necessary, the impact of cognitive devices on current framework for placing equipment on the market, including assignment of responsibilities in the case of radio equipment (in particular if data bases in support of the geo-location are provided by third parties), and enforcement, in order to make proposals on the basis of these findings to the relevant bodies.

A roadmap with four stages until WRC-2012, to maximise the benefits of the CRS work in the ECC, was presented by the CG. The four stages given below are proposed to cover the work items of Task 1 (technical work and compatibility), Task 2 (regulatory work) and Task 3 (impact on current framework) as well as the foreseen applications and the on-going work within WG FM and SE43. Close co-operation between all stakeholders is necessary.

Stage 1: Identification of types of CRS applications, review of spectrum needs and existing spectrum usage (Task 1, work is ongoing within WG FM).

Stage 2: Feasibility study, addressing identified CRS applications (Task 1, work is ongoing within WG FM and SE43).

Stage 3: Identification of bands and regulation, addressing identified CRS applications (work is ongoing within WG FM and SE43, Task 1 and 2).

Stage 4: Impact on current regulatory framework for equipment (Task 2 and 3).

ECC appreciated this comprehensive response from the CG and decided to continue in accordance with the proposed roadmap. The Report of the Correspondence Group can be downloaded here.

ETSI TC RSS corner:

There is ongoing activity within ETSI TC RSS on CRS and SDR standardisation (link to the ETSI TC RSS).

ETSI RRS TC created the following four WGs, in which the technical discussions are organized and reports are produced:

• WG1 (System Aspects (SA)) focuses on system aspects and develops proposals from a system aspects point of view for a common framework in RRS TC with the aim to guarantee coherence among the different RRS TC WGs and to avoid overlapping and gaps between related activities.
• WG2 (Radio Equipment Architecture (REA)) focuses on SDR technology with a particular interest in radio equipment architecture and proposes common reference architectures for SDR/CR radio equipment (mobile handset devices, radio base stations, etc.), related interfaces, and so on.
• WG3 (Cognitive Management and Control) focuses on cognitive management and control; the group collects and defines the system functionalities for reconfigurable radio systems related to spectrum management and joint radio resource management across heterogeneous access technologies. Furthermore, the group has developed a functional architecture for the management and control of reconfigurable radio   systems as well as a report on the CPC as an enabler to support the management of the RRS.
• WG4 (Public Safety) focuses on public safety and collects and defines the related RRS requirements from relevant stakeholders in the public safety and defense domain. The group defines the system aspects for the applications of RRS in public safety and defense.

European corner:

• EC Framework Programme 7 (FP7) project on the research topic "Cognitive Radio"

The RAS (Radio Access and Spectrum) Cluster Workshop took place on the 28th January 2010. The setup of the workshop was FP7 projects on Cognitive Radio and Spectrum Sharing presenting their technology concepts and discussed regulatory implications. The workshop’s presentations are available on the webpage of the Workshop.

Some of the following projects have been finalized and some have been recently launched:  

-  End-to-End Efficiency (E3) project was finalised in December 2009. The key objective of it was to transform current wireless system infrastructures into an integrated, scalable and efficiently managed Beyond-3rd-Generation (B3G) cognitive system framework, which ensures seamless access to applications and services and exploits the full diversity of corresponding heterogeneous systems. In the course of the project collaborative and autonomous algorithms were developed.

-  PHYDYAS (Physical Layer for Dynamic Spectrum Access and Cognitive Radio). A short term objective is to develop and demonstrate algorithms for single and multiantenna terminals, scalability and adaptivity, and multiple accesses. The proposed technique is a filter bank-based multicarrier (FBMC) which offers high spectrum resolution and can provide independent sub-channels, while maintaining or enhancing the high data rate capability. Critical aspect is that sub-channels (so-called sub-carriers) can be independent. Spectrum sensing and transmitting can be performed simultaneously.

-  SENDORA (Sensor Network for Dynamic and Cognitive Radio) – main motivation of the project is that radio spectrum is a scarce resource but is paradoxically under-utilized in some frequency bands. Start date = 1st January 2008; duration: 36 months. Innovative idea is to perform sensing and control interference level at the same time. Objective is develop a technology able to reuse the licensed but unused spectrum in an opportunistic manner, operating as secondary system in the considered bands.

Approach is to develop SENDORA Wireless Sensor Network aided to Cognitive Radio network. network and provide himself the secondary system with transmission opportunities. Selected scenario: nomadic broadband access in urban and suburban areas. Start date 01.01.2008; duration: 36 months.

-  SACRA (Spectrum and Energy Efficiency through multi-band Cognitive Radio). Motivation of the project is to study and demonstrate spectrum and energy efficient communications through multi-band cognitive radio. Project was launched on 01.01.2010; duration is 36 months.

Main objective: study and demonstration of spectrum and energy efficient communications through multi-band cognitive radio. Possible scenario: mobile broadband communications on several separate bands. Target bands: 2.6 GHz and upper part of UHF band.

-  ARAGORN (Adaptive Reconfigurable Access and Generic Interfaces in Radio Networks). Duration: January 2008 – June 2010.  Project explores CR principles in ISM-band domain. Increase efficiency through cooperation and cognitive radio principle. To invent in the existing architecture the cognitive radio manager (CRM) and investigate what are its inherent components. The opportunity of the usage of the white spaces is dependent on the given thresholds to depict or measure ‘gaps’.

-  FARAMIR (Flexible and spectrum-Aware Radio Access through Measurements and Modelling). The project was recently launched. It will mainly deal with measurements.

-  EUWB (Coexisting Short Range Radio by Advanced Ultra-Wideband Radio Technology). Time schedule: 01.04.2008 – 31.03.2011. Objectives of EUWB are to explore the economic potential of the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio technology, extend the UWB concept with advanced cognitive radio, multi-band/multimode networking and multiple antenna system concepts; reliable data link between sensor and control unit; reduce cable harness complexity. Implementation is planned for automotive UWB frontends and antenna concepts. Methods include short term (spectrum sensing with its challenges like long scanning time because of the wide range and changing environment) and long term (co-operative spectrum sensing).

- WALTER  (Wireless Alliance for Testing Experiment and Research). Project was started in 2008 and was finalised in the end of 2009. Main objective was fulfilled. Test beds were developed to measure UWB signal in order to allow conformity assessment to the devices to be presented on the market.

-  SAPHYRE (Sharing Physical Resources: Mechanisms and Implementations for Wireless Networks). Project was recently launched, consists of 6 Work Packages. The main topics emphasised in the SAPHYRE project are: self-organising infrastructure sharing, new adaptive spectrum sharing models, efficient autonomous co-ordination, and high spectral efficiency. “Innovation idea is to pave the way for paradigm change from exclusive resource allocation to voluntary physical resource sharing”.  Technical platform will be created based on Broadband wireless experimental system which belongs to Fraunhofer Institute.

-   QoSMOS (Quality of Service and Mobility driven cognitive radio Systems). Project was started on 01.01.2010. The main objective is to provide a platform for efficient radio access to future networks. Some challenges for CR implementation such as sensing; spectrum portfolio database; other mitigation technique methods will be studied.

Following opportunities for Cognitive Radio can be studied further such as home and street coverage; smart metering / grid; rural access; cellular extension; public safety; TV white spaces.

-  QUASAR (Quantitative Assessment of Secondary Spectrum Access). Following scenarios and use cases for a secondary system will be investigated: 1) Mobile broadband access; 2) High-speed Rural broadband; 3) Next generation home networks; 4) Cellular deployments with low/high towers; 5) Backhauling; 6) Emergency services /ad hoc networks.

Following frequencies for white space usage will be considered: broadcasting bands; radar bands; satellite bands. the decision about cellular bands is under consideration.

Expected output of the Project will be to asses the amount of “white spaces” and its usefulness. Secondary system performance and white space availability map.

-   CoGEU (Cognitive radio systems for efficient sharing of TV white spaces in EUropean context). Duration 36 months (January 2010-December 2012).

CoGEU will consider a centralized architecture with a spectrum broker. The spectrum broker controls the amount of bandwidth and power assigned to each user in order to keep the desired QoS and interference below the interference limits. Project combines geolocation databases and sensing techniques for incumbent detection and determining usable channels in TVWS.

CoGEU approach: 1) emulate possible scenario; 2) develop software to calculate possible amount of spectrum and check the correctness of the approach; 3) combine geolocation and sensing techniques.  

 CEPT Meetings

Further information about meetings is available in the ECC Meeting calendar.

ECO contact for Cognitive Radio related enquiries: Stella Lyubchenko (ECO)  e-mail stella.lyubchenko@eco.cept.org or phone +45 33 89 63 09

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