Sponsor: Innovative Wireless Technologies, Inc.

• Project duration: 10/1/2004 - 9/30/2007
• Total project (est.): $3,512,018
• Requested ATP funds: $1,999,986

Lack of interoperability between two-way radios and other wireless devices because of incompatibility and limited public spectrum continues to plague public safety teams. To ensure communications, many law enforcement and even some military personnel carry two or more wireless devices, including cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), two-way radios and pagers. Ideally, first responders would carry a multipurpose radio able to work with any reasonable wireless communications protocol. Or better yet, an intelligent device would determine for itself the most reliable communications channel and take advantage of it, a concept called "cognitive radio". To date, however, radio interoperability solutions have limited frequency range and capabilities and are expensive ($1,500 and above). Federal, State, and local authorities are pursuing short-term interoperability enablers such as crossband repeaters and voice over internet protocol, but no single communications mode or protocol furnishes a permanent solution. Innovative Wireless Technologies (IWT) proposes to develop hardware and software for a low-cost communications platform based on a novel radio-frequency IC chip capable of supporting the full range of communications formats from analog voice to ultrawideband data transmission. IWT's unified radio architecture (URA) will enable a single "cognitive radio" platform that will use existing commercial and public safety wireless services. This will permit better spectrum efficiency, cross-network roaming, and service utilization. Cognitive radio chipsets could be placed into first-responder handheld radios. Eventually chipsets could be placed at strategic infrastructure locations such as traffic lights, to create a mesh of interoperable wireless networks. IWT has sought funding from Federal and private sources, but the risk is considered too high because of technical complexity and product development exceeding 12 months. Key innovation include handling ultra wideband and analog voice waveforms on the same equipment, developing a powerful but compact radio abstraction language that enables downloading of new waveforms, and keeping costs low (around $25). ATP funding will allow IWT to develop a prototype cognitive radio chipset two years earlier than otherwise would be possible. The initial market will be homeland security and first responders, but IWT has garnered support for mass production if the prototype is successful. URA chipsets could rapidly penetrate the commercial telecom market in cellular phones, PDAs, and personal computers. There may be military applications as well.

For project information:

Eric Hansen, (434) 316-5230 x26
ehansen@iwtwireless.com

ATP Project Manager

Timothy A. Hall, 301-975-8077
tim.hall@nist.gov

This is the fact sheet for this project as it was announced on September 28, 2004.
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