Subject: [NEXTEL-1] You can hear me now: Software brings cellular capacity to rural communities

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 20:19:02 -0400

Public release date: 6-Oct-2003
Contact: Josh Chamot
[email-masked]
703-292-7730
National Science Foundation
You can hear me now: Software brings cellular capacity to rural communities
ARLINGTON, Va.--Researchers have successfully tested a system that can replace a
cellular tower's room full of communications hardware with a single desk-top style
computer, making the technology affordable for small, rural communities.

The software is also capable of running emergency communications--such as police,
fire and ambulance channels--on the same device as the civilian system,
eliminating the need for a separate network of emergency communications towers.

"Rural customers are the first application of the technology, but large carriers
are watching to see what happens," said John Chapin, chief technology officer at
Vanu, Inc., the Cambridge, Mass. Company that tested and markets the software,
which it calls Vanu Software Radio TM.
Vanu scientists developed and tested the software with funds from the National
Science Foundation (NSF), the independent federal agency that supports fundamental
research and education across all fields of science and engineering.

"There is an economic driver to the small business projects, and both NSF and
awardees have to be flexible," said Sarah Nerlove, the NSF Small Business
Innovation Research (SBIR) program officer who oversees Vanu's awards. "When the
telecom industry crashed, Vanu technology caused wireless operators to look at
deployments differently. Vanu was an ideal fit for their changing needs," she
added.
NSF awards SBIR grants to small businesses for risky, novel research with a
potential for commercialization.  Through SBIR and the related Small Business
Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, NSF encourages partnerships between the small
business and the academic sectors to develop a technology base for
commercialization.

Cellular towers now dot the landscapes of cities and suburbs, providing millions
of Americans with access to wireless communications. Currently, at the base of
each tower is an air-conditioned shelter filled with expensive equipment called a
basestation.

"As technology advances, all of that equipment continually needs to be overhauled
or replaced," said John Chapin, chief technology officer at Vanu. In addition to
replacing much of the equipment with a single computer server, radio software can
aggregate the equipment from many stations into a single location into what
communications engineers call a "basestation hotel," he said.

Vanu Software RadioTM is first of its kind to perform all functions of a GSM (a
digital cellular standard) base station using only software and a non-specialized
computer server. The servers run the Linux operating system on Pentium processors,
further simplifying the technology and reducing cost.
The company successfully demonstrated the technology in two rural Texas
communities: De Leon in Comanche County and Gorman in Eastland County. When the
test ends, the technology will remain as a cellular infrastructure run by Mid-Tex
Cellular, Ltd.

"The overall system is much cheaper and therefore offers opportunities to
underserved rural areas," said Vanu basestation engineer Jeff Steinheider who led
the technology installation in Texas.

Although the software currently runs on larger servers using a Linux operating
system, the software also runs on a variety of commercial computers, so cellular
service providers can run the product on economical systems. And, according to
Chapin, the software's portable design easily adapts to hardware upgrades. Even a
personal computer could run Vanu waveform software, he said, although it could not
handle a large number of customers.

The software has been successfully carrying phone calls since it was installed in
the Texas towns in June 2003.  The researchers have been tracking how many calls
successfully go through, how well mobile phones communicate with other mobile
phones and how well mobile phones communicate with landline phones.

So far, the results have been positive and by early 2004, the system is expected
to become fully operational for Mid-Tex cellular customers.

Potentially, large carriers could also use the software to establish base station
hotels or upgrade and condense their existing equipment. Beyond that, the
technology will allow cellular providers to more efficiently use the frequency
spectrum reserved for communication and are more flexible if they need to be
upgraded to handle even more bandwidth, said Chapin.

NSF SBIR Officer: Sally Nerlove, (703) 292-7077, [email-masked]

Vanu, Inc. Media Officer: Beth Lauritsen, (617) 864-1711 x257, [email-masked]

The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports
fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering,
with an annual budget of nearly $5.3 billion. National Science Foundation funds
reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions.
Each year, NSF receives about 30,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes
about 10,000 new funding awards. The National Science Foundation also awards over
$200 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

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