Going to Disneyland
“Spectrum is not a thing, and interference is a myth.”
Few comments will set off those with an interest in spectrum policy like those words.
Spectrum policy devised by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States and similar entities around the world is the great, fascinating debate that will define the future of the communications for public safety and private interests alike.
But the politics and the business interests will be shaped by the emerging technologies, just as business and politics will influence development of those technologies.
And at the heart of these emerging technologies is Software Defined Radio (SDR). Developments surrounding SDR are what give credence to claims that spectrum is not a thing and interference is a myth — if anything does.
Nothing holds more promise for mobility and flexibility in mobile communications than SDR. SDR brings together the possibility of reconfiguration of everything from the air interface parameters of handset and basestation products to customized applications for the user’s terminal, even on the fly.
To skeptics, this is fantasy. So perhaps it is fitting that the gathering of SDR experts will be at Walt Disney World, America’s quintessential fantasyland.
SDR ’03, the annual Software Defined Radio technical conference and product exposition is Nov. 17-19 at Disney Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Fla.
The event is coordinated by the SDR Forum (www.sdrforum.org) and MRT is a media affiliate of the Forum.
The Forum is an international, 100-plus member association dedicated to the development and deployment of SDR technologies.
More than 300 attended last year’s event. More attendees are expected this year.
While some may see fantasy in the grander claims for SDR, the reality is that SDR base stations have been available for a couple of years. The technology is in wide use in military applications, is beginning to make testing inroads in public safety and is at the top of the list for technologies to watch for regulators and innovators.
SDR ’03 keynote speakers are Jorge M. Pereira, Ph.D., scientific officer with the European Commission and Ivo Bolsens, Ph.D., vice president and chief technology officer with Xilinx
More than 80 technical papers, tutorials and workshops on topics such as cognitive radio, regulatory issues, FPGA signal processing, security, adaptive computing, network and protocol architectures, spectrum management, and so on will be presented.
So Walt Disney World, or at least the Disney Contemporary Resort, might be the very place to sort fact from fantasy.
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