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The Evolution of Untethered Communications (1997)

Chapter: FRONT MATTER

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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The Evolution Of Untethered Communications

Committee on Evolution of Untethered Communications
Computer Science and Telecommunications Board
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1997

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page ii

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Support for this project was provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 97-80464
International Standard Book Number 0-309-05946-1

Copyright 1997 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Additional copies of this report are available from:
National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Ave., NW
Box 285
Washington, DC 20055
800-624-6242
202-334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area)
http://www.nap.edu

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
×

Page iii

COMMITTEE ON EVOLUTION OF UNITHERED COMMUNICATIONS

DAVID J. GOODMAN, Rutgers University, Chair

NORMAN ABRAMSON, ALOHA Networks, Inc.

EUGENE CACCIAMANI, Hughes Network Systems

JOEL ENGEL, Ameritech

MARK EPSTEIN, QUALCOMM, Inc.

BRUCE FETTE, Motorola, Inc.

DOUGLAS C. FIELDS, United Parcel Service

BEZALEL GAVISH, Vanderbilt University

ANDREA GOLDSMITH, California Institute of Technology

RANDY H. KATZ, University of California at Berkeley

EDWIN A. KELLEY, Hughes Aircraft Company

KAVEH PAHLAVAN, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

CHARLES E. PERKINS, Sun Microsystems

THEODORE RAPPAPORT, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

JESSE RUSSELL, AT&T Laboratories

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page iv

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD

DAVID D. CLARK, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chair

FRANCES E. ALLEN, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

JAMES CHIDDIX, Time Warner Cable

JEFF DOZIER, University of California at Santa Barbara

A.G. FRASER, AT&T Corporation

SUSAN L. GRAHAM, University of California at Berkeley

JAMES GRAY, Microsoft Corporation

BARBARA J. GROSZ, Harvard University

PATRICK M. HANRAHAN, Stanford University

JUDITH HEMPEL, University of California at San Francisco

DEBORAH A. JOSEPH, University of Wisconsin

BUTLER W. LAMPSON, Microsoft Corporation

EDWARD D. LAZOWSKA, University of Washington

MICHAEL LESK, Bellcore

DAVID LIDDLE, Interval Research

BARBARA H. LISKOV, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

JOHN MAJOR, QUALCOMM, Inc.

DAVID G. MESSERSCHMITT, University of California at Berkeley

DONALD NORMAN, Hewlett-Packard Company

RAYMOND OZZIE, Rhythmix Corporation

DONALD SIMBORG, KnowMed Systems

LESLIE L. VADASZ, Intel Corporation

MAJORY S. BLUMENTHAL, Director

HERBERT S. LIN, Senior Staff Officer

JERRY R. SHEEHAN, Program Officer

ALAN S. INOUYE, Program Officer

JON EISENBERG, Program Officer

MARK E. BALKOVICH, Research Associate

JANET BRISCOE, Administrative Associate

LISA L. SHUM, Project Assistant

SYNOD P. BOYD, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page v

COMMISSION ON PHYSICAL SCIENCES, MATHEMATICS, AND APPLICATIONS

ROBERT J. HERMANN, United Technologies Corporation, Co-chair

W. CARL LINEBERGER, University of Colorado, Co-chair

PETER M. BANKS, Environmental Research Institute of Michigan

WILLIAM BROWDER, Princeton University

LAWRENCE D. BROWN, University of Pennsylvania

RONALD G. DOUGLAS, Texas A&M University

JOHN E. ESTES, University of California at Santa Barbara

MARTHA P. HAYNES, Cornell University

L. LOUIS HEGEDUS, Elf Atochem North America, Inc.

JOHN E. HOPCROFT, Cornell University

CAROL M. JANTZEN, Westinghouse Savannah River Company

PAUL G. KAMINSKI, Technovation, Inc.

KENNETH H. KELLER, University of Minnesota

KENNETH I. KELLERMANN, National Radio Astronomy Observatory

MARGARET G. KIVELSON, University of California at Los Angeles

DANIEL KLEPPNER, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

JOHN KREICK, Sanders, a Lockheed Martin Company

MARSHA I. LESTER, University of Pennsylvania

NICHOLAS P. SAMIOS, Brookhaven National Laboratory

CHANG-LIN TIEN, University of California at Berkeley

NORMAN METZGER, Executive Director

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page vii

Preface

In 1994, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated the Global Mobile Information Systems (GloMo) program to apply advances in high-speed computation, signal processing, and miniaturization to mobile, wireless, multimedia information systems. The GloMo program is intended to develop the technologies that will enable military forces to carry out communication and computing tasks free of tethers—that is, cables to power sources or telecommunications networks. The concept of "untethered" communications unites mobile and wireless operations.

In response to a request from DARPA, the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council initiated a one-year study on untethered communications in July 1996. To carry out the study, the CSTB appointed a committee of 15 wireless-technology experts, including researchers, program managers, technology developers, and users working in industry and academia. The Committee on the Evolution of Untethered Communications was charged with advising DARPA on where to invest in information technology for mobile wireless systems. In particular, DARPA posed the following questions:

What will industry do on its own? When?

What are the military requirements and needs in mobile wireless information technology?

To what extent will commercial technology development support military needs?

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page viii

Where can DARPA have the greatest impact in technology development or acceleration of technology development to support the military?

This report presents the results of the CSTB study. In addition to answering DARPA's questions, the report provides a wealth of information of interest to a broader audience, suggesting that this is an era of unprecedented change, growth, and promise in untethered communications for both civilian and military users. The report explores the evolution of wireless technology, the often-fruitful synergy between commercial and military research and development efforts, and the technical challenges still to be overcome. Many examples of past ingenuity and future opportunities in wireless systems are noted. Although much of the information can be obtained piecemeal from other sources, it is rarely collected and analyzed in the manner found here. This is the CSTB's first report on wireless communications.

The committee met four times during the one-year study time frame. The report is based on the committee's discussions with representatives of military organizations and commercial developers, background information from the literature, the expertise and judgment of individual committee members, and the deliberations of the committee as a group.

The committee appreciates DARPA's sponsorship of this project and in particular acknowledges the participation of four individuals. Howard Frank, former director of the Information Technology Office, provided valuable advice to the CSTB prior to the initiation of the study. Barry Leiner, the original driving force behind the GloMo program, had the vision to appreciate how a comprehensive technology assessment could complement the specific research projects already under way. Kevin Mills, who later assumed leadership of the GloMo program, addressed the committee at the beginning of its study. Rob Ruth, who succeeded Mills, shared his insights into operational military needs and encouraged the committee and CSTB staff to support DARPA's needs to advance and refine GloMo planning. All of these individuals provided regular reminders of DARPA's strong interest in this study and helped motivate the committee's efforts to develop a comprehensive analysis that takes into account the context of military decision making.

The committee also benefited enormously from the assistance of a number of anonymous reviewers. Reviewer comments and constructive criticisms helped the committee transform a voluminous early draft into a tighter, well-organized final report, calibrate the emphasis placed on a variety of topics, and clarify the analysis of specific issues.

Finally, the committee appreciates the effort and energy devoted to this project by former CSTB staff member Paul Semenza, who organized the study and guided the writing and revision of this report, and former

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page ix

CSTB project assistant Gail Pritchard, who provided administrative and logistical support. It also is grateful for the yeoman efforts of Laura Ost, the writer-editor who worked with the committee during the summer of 1997 to improve the organization and written presentation of its ideas.

David Goodman, Chair
Committee on Evolution of
Untethered Communications

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page xi

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1

1  PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

10

1.1  Overview

11

1.2  Historical Perspective

13

1.2.1  Communications Before the Industrial Age 

13

1.2.2  Telegraphy

15

1.2.3  Early Wireless 

15

1.2.4  Telephony

16

1.2.5  Communications Satellites

17

1.2.6  Mobile Radio and the Origins of Cellular Telephony

18

1.2.7  The Internet and Packet Radio

19

1.3  Military Wireless Systems and Research

21

1.3.1  Terrestrial Systems

21

1.3.2  Satellite Systems

24

1.3.3  Research Initiatives in Untethered Communications

25

1.3.3.1  Global Mobile Information Systems Program

26

1.3.3.2  Software-Defined Radio Research

28

1.3.3.3  Communications Systems Research

29

1.3.3.4  Radio Component Research

29

1.3.3.5  Small Unit Operations

30

1.3.3.6  Modeling and Simulation

30

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page xii

1.4  Commercial Terrestrial Mobile Telephone Systems and Services

30

1.4.1  First-Generation Systems

31

1.4.2  Second-Generation Systems

33

1.4.3  Third-Generation Systems

38

1.5  Commercial Satellite Systems

41

1.6  Mobile Data Services

44

1.7  Wireless Local Area Networks

47

1.8  Comparison of International Research, Development, and Deployment Strategies

47

1.9  Summary and Report Organization

52

Notes

54

2  TECHNOLOGY LIMITS, TRADE-OFFS, AND CHALLENGES

56

2.1  Communication Link Design

58

2.1.1  Characteristics of the Wireless Channel

60

2.1.1.1  Path Loss

60

2.1.1.2  Shadow Fading

61

2.1.1.3  Small-Scale (Multipath) Fading

62

2.1.1.4  Interference

63

2.1.1.5  Satellite Channels

64

2.1.2  Capacity Limits of Wireless Channels

64

2.1.3  Modulation

65

2.1.4  Channel Coding and Link-Layer Retransmission

65

2.1.5  Countermeasures for Fading

67

2.1.5.1  Flat-Fading Countermeasures

67

2.1.5.2  Countermeasures for Frequency-Selective Fading

69

2.1.6  Channel Access

72

2.1.6.1  Fixed-Allocation Multiple Access

72

2.1.6.2  Demand-Assigned Multiple Access

73

2.1.6.3  Random Access

74

2.2  Network Issues

75

2.2.1  Architecture

75

2.2.1.1  Cellular System Design

76

2.2.1.2  Packet Radio System Design

78

2.2.2  Physical Resource Allocation

79

2.2.3  Interoperability

80

2.2.4  Routing and Mobility Management

81

2.2.4.1  Multihop Routing

81

2.2.4.2  Terminal Mobility

82

2.2.4.3  Wireless Overlay Networks

84

Page xiii Cite
Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page xiii

2.2.5  Resource Discovery

85

2.2.6  Network Simulation and Modeling Tools

85

2.3  End-to-End System Design Issues

86

2.3.1  Application-Level Adaptation

86

2.3.2  Quality of Service

87

2.3.2.1  Approaches to Quality of Service

87

2.3.2.2  Transport-Layer Issues

91

2.3.3  Security

92

2.4  Hardware Issues

94

2.4.1  Antennas

95

2.4.2  Other Radio Components

97

2.4.2.1  Analog-to-Digital Converters

98

2.4.2.2  Digital Signal Processors

99

2.4.2.3  Filters

100

2.4.2.4  Radio Frequency Amplifiers

100

2.4.3  Portable Terminal Design

101

2.4.3.1  Displays, User Interfaces, and Input Devices

101

2.4.3.2  Processors

102

2.4.3.3  Batteries

102

2.4.3.4  Storage

103

2.5  Summary

103

Notes

104

3  COMMERCIAL-DEFENSE SYNERGY IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

108

3.1  Overview

109

3.2  Motivations for Commercial-Defense Synergy

111

3.2.1  Design Reuse

113

3.2.2  Production Learning Curve

114

3.2.3  Maintenance and Logistics Support

116

3.2.4  Training

117

3.2.5  Cycle Time

117

3.3  Barriers to Commercial-Defense Synergy

119

3.3.1  Risks of Dependence on Commercial Technologies

120

3.3.2  Trade-offs Between Cost and Complexity

121

3.3.2.1  Performance Issues

121

3.3.2.2  Quality and Testing

122

3.3.3  Infrastructure Differences

124

3.4  Designing Wireless Systems for Military Applications

125

3.4.1  Network Architecture

125

3.4.1.1  Network Design Issues

125

3.4.1.2  Bandwidth Requirements

129

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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Page xiv

3.4.1.3  Source Coding

131

3.4.1.4  Highly Adaptive Systems

133

3.4.2    Security

134

3.4.2.1 Availability of Service

135

3.4.2.2 Confidentiality and Integrity

135

3.4.3 Multimode, Multiband Communications

137

3.4.3.1 Software-Defined Radios

138

3.4.3.2 Co-Site Interference

139

3.5 Defense Technology Policy Issues

141

3.5.1 Implications of Changes in Military Tactics

141

3.5.2 Rapid Infrastructure Deployment

142

3.5.3 Logistics

142

3.5.4 Preparing for Unsophisticated Adversaries

143

3.5.5 Preparing for Sophisticated Adversaries

144

3.6 Summary

144

Notes

145

4 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

149

4.1 History and Challenges of Wireless Communications

149

4.2 Standards Development

152

4.3 Demonstration and Testing Rather Than Development

154

4.4 Procurement

155

4.5 Modeling and Simulation

156

4.6 Network Architecture

158

4.7 Network Security

159

4.8 High-Density Communications Platforms

160

4.9 Software Radios

162

4.10 Smart Antennas

162

4.11 Smart Waveforms

163

4.12 Filter Technology

164

4.13 Novel Components

165

BIBLIOGRAPHY

167

APPENDIXES

 

A Biographies of Committee Members

175

B Briefers to the Committee

180

C Glossary

182

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1997. The Evolution of Untethered Communications. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5968.
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In response to a request from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the committee studied a range of issues to help identify what strategies the Department of Defense might follow to meet its need for flexible, rapidly deployable communications systems. Taking into account the military's particular requirements for security, interoperability, and other capabilities as well as the extent to which commercial technology development can be expected to support these and related needs, the book recommends systems and component research as well as organizational changes to help the DOD field state-of-the-art, cost-effective untethered communications systems. In addition to advising DARPA on where its investment in information technology for mobile wireless communications systems can have the greatest impact, the book explores the evolution of wireless technology, the often fruitful synergy between commercial and military research and development efforts, and the technical challenges still to be overcome in making the dream of "anytime, anywhere" communications a reality.

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