Computer Communication Systems - Projects - 1997
Mobile Computer Communication
Mobile computer communications is being driven by the confluence of a
number of factors, including:
- The "VLSI" price curve - due to increasing using of VLSI
fabrication techniques as well as moving to digital electronics
- Consumer communications equipment: CB radios, cordless
telephone, cellular telephones, ...
- User expectations due to the above items, and
- Economic and political changes with respect to wireless communication.
Traditionally users have had to treat specturm as an extremely
valuable resource and mobile communications devices were expensive
devices which were only used by very special customers. This has all
changed:
- Microcells and picocells combined with high speed backbone
technology has changed the economics - so that specturm is often not
the limiting factor;
- Volume manufacturing of consumer communication devices has
changed the pricing and avaialbility of mobile communication devices; and
- The base of users has broadened to closer to the "average
person", (with more than 20% of the population of Sweden having
cellular phones).
While the base technology is rapidly developing most wide area service
is still only 10s of kilobits per second and local area service is
only 100s to 1000s of kilobits per second. In conjuction with
researchers in Radio Systems, Electronic System Construction, etc. we
are attempting to find the architecture and protocols necessary to
support future mobile computing and communication systems.
Former projects
G.Q.Maguire Jr. (maguire@it.kth.se)
Last modified: 7 January 1999