Reconfigurable Radio: the evolving perspectives of different players

Abstract

From its initial concept software radio (SR), which has remained, especially in the US, mainly focused on the terminal, and still under considerable military influence, has evolved slowly, starting only recently to take into account commercial considerations, in spite of some initial insight in that direction. While some saw it as "simply" freeing us from standards, by allowing the definition of the radio terminal in software (hence software defined radio, SDR), we see it as changing not only the way we think radio systems and networks, but also the way we define and provide the services and adapt the applications that ran on top of them. We discuss this much broader, all encompassing approach. While the "canonical" SDR approach concentrates on the terminal side, ours covers the whole system, extending through the network into service creation and application development, and delving into the impact on spectrum usage, regulation and standardisation. Instead of settling for defining the terminal in software, we envision reconfiguring on demand not only the terminal but also the serving network(s) and the services they provide (hence reconfigurable radio systems and networks). As this approach is put to work in Europe, our vision of reconfigurability continues to evolve. We focus on the different perception manufacturers, operators and application developers have of reconfigurability, of its role, and how these viewpoints are expected to evolve with their evolving business models.