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Military and Commercial SDR – Same Objectives, Different Priorities

This presentation explores the similarities and differences between military and commercial SDR applications, and the need for synergy between the two. It discusses the benefits of SDR, the importance of optimized middleware implementations, and concludes with key takeaways.

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Military and Commercial SDR – Same Objectives, Different Priorities

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  1. Military and Commercial SDR – Same Objectives, Different Priorities Steve Jennis – Sr.VP, PrismTech OMG SBC Workshop Arlington, VA – Sept 15, 2004

  2. Introducing PrismTech

  3. Speaker: Steve Jennis Sr. VP, Corporate Development Speaker Profile • Personal Profile: • Steve joined start-up PrismTech in 1994 after 15 years of international experience in sales, product marketing and management at Texas Instruments Inc • PrismTech has since evolved from a contract R&D software house to become a world leader in the supply of distributed and wireless software infrastructure products to blue-chip clients in the telecommunications and defense sectors • Steve has masterminded PrismTech’s overall product strategy, marketing focus and revenue growth. He is a member of the PrismTech board. • Steve is a Physics graduate of Loughborough University in the UK

  4. Market-led software products company Telecom, Defense & Financial “Fortune 500” client base Middleware for Distributed and Embedded Systems 50+ people operating in the US and the Europe PrismTech Snapshot • Aiming to achieve a leadership position in the emerging high-growth market for wireless infrastructure software for Software Defined Radio (SDR) applications, a segment of the overall SDR market, which is set to grow from $700M in 2002 to over $30 Billion in 2008. Source: Pioneer Consulting.

  5. World-Class Customer Base Nokia

  6. JTRS Cluster 5

  7. Agenda • Military and Commercial SDR perceived benefits • Same objectives, different priorities • Why synergy matters • SCA can provide a common basis, but… • Middleware vendors must produce “optimized” implementations • Conclusions

  8. Military and Commercial SDR - Perceived Benefits

  9. Information Sources • JTRS Community • Hardware vendors • Wireless Infrastructure Vendors • Market Research Reports • Research Projects • Commercial Telecom Standardization Efforts • Customers

  10. SDR Perceived Benefits – Feature Based • Re-configurability • Application enhancement • Enable network resource optimization • Evolve with new standards • Multifunctional devices • Multi-mode • Multi-band • Shorter time-to-market • Differentiated products • Backward compatibility

  11. SDR Perceived Benefits – Cost Based • Lower hardware costs • Re-use of devices • Use of more “standard” hardware components • “Agile” wireless software infrastructure • Re-use of applications • Portable applications – write once, run anywhere • Adaptable applications (code reuse) • Improved developer productivity • Standard APIs, open architectures • 3rd party application “plugability” • Middleware utilities in COTS products

  12. Same Objectives - Different Priorities

  13. Military Priorities – All of the Above! • Feature-based • Re-configurability • Application enhancement • Enable network resource optimization • Evolve with new standards • Multifunctional devices • Multi-mode • Multi-band • Shorter time-to-market • Differentiated products • Backward compatibility • Cost-based • Lower hardware costs • Re-use of devices • Use of more “standard” hardware components • Adaptable wireless software infrastructure • Re-use of applications • Portable applications – write once, run anywhere • Adaptable applications (code reuse) • Improved developer productivity • Standard APIs, open architectures • 3rd party application “plugability” • Middleware utilities in COTS products

  14. Commercial Priorities – 3G BS OEMs • Feature-based • Re-configurability • Application enhancement • Enable network resource optimization • Evolve with new standards • Multifunctional devices • Multi-mode • Multi-band • Shorter time-to-market • Differentiated products • Backward compatibility • Cost-based • Lower hardware costs • Re-use of devices • Use of more “standard” hardware components • Adaptable wireless software infrastructure • Re-use of applications • Portable applications – write once, run anywhere • Adaptable applications (code reuse) • Improved developer productivity • Standard APIs, open architectures • 3rd party application “plugability” • Middleware utilities in COTS products

  15. Commercial Priorities – Drivers • Short-term commercial focus on market share and profitability • Stock price driven by revenue; less technology premium since 2000 • Hence focus on cost reduction with only “mandatory” new features for short-term revenue growth • Urgent need to reduce base station development effort and cost • Improved developer productivity • Standard waveform APIs, open architectures • 3rd party product integration • Middleware/platform utilities in COTS middleware • Use of “standard” components • GPPs, DSP, FPGAs versus fully custom and ASIC • Continuous need to be first to market with next-generation products to increase market share • Shorter time-to-market • Medium-term need to support more waveforms in same base station (without costs rocketing) • Multifunctional devices

  16. Why Synergy Matters

  17. Benefits of Commercial Take-Up to DoD • JTRS JPO has a long-held goal of fostering COTS middleware products supporting the SCA specification • Military SCA OE Implementations • To reduce implementation complexity and customization (e.g. in the integration of RTOS, middleware, core framework, tools, etc.) • To provide a choice of SCA COTS products for radio vendors • To allow radio vendors to focus on application “value-add”, not rebuilding infrastructure • Commercial Telecom SDR OE Products • To generate a commercial “critical-mass” for SCA-derived wireless infrastructure products – security of supply, lower costs • To feedback implementation experience and new technology from commercial software infrastructure into SCA products • To prevent the SCA being “marginalized” by alternative commercial approaches that are unsuitable for defense applications - and thus increase long term costs.

  18. Benefits of SCA “Take-Up” to Telco Sector • Don’t reinvent the wheel – optimize it for your vehicle! • Waveform APIs (yes, even defined in CORBA IDL) can be directly re-used • Small form-factor Cluster 5 radios will “prove the SCA concept” for highly resource-constrained devices • Benefit from $Ms of military R&D invested in SCA middleware • Middleware scaleability is build-in – OMG beware… • International standardization effort underway via OMG SBC DTF • Credible middleware vendors already exist • Focus on added-value through new application features and lowering costs

  19. Benefits of SCA “Take-Up” to Vendors • Broader market access leads to • High sales volumes for standardized products • Greater overall market share in SDR • Greater internal efficiencies – lower support costs • Cross-fertilize technical advances – feature enhancement • World-class technology • Serving customers better

  20. SCA Can Provide a Common Basis, But…

  21. SCA Origins and Objectives • US DoD awarded a contract to the Modular Software Radio Consortium (MSRC) in late 1998 to develop a wireless software infrastructure specification which would be publicly available, open, non-proprietary and specify common radio interface formats • Successful MSRC Consortium included BAE Systems, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins ITT and others • Objectives • To facilitate waveform reuse and portability • To enable radio flexibility • To pioneer a “Windows-style platform” for SDR applications • To provide functionality not yet addressed by the commercial telecommunications sector • To foster competitive, yet interchangeable implementations

  22. SCA Specification Maturing

  23. 1995 1986 1992 First SCA Based Radio 2001 SpeakEasy I 1995 1999 2002 1991 1989 Courtesy of 1991 SDR Origins & Evolution JTRS Cluster 5, AMF Cluster & futures

  24. SCA Specification Maturing • Currently v3 • Elements of the SCA specification being formally “standardized” through the Object Management Group SBC Domain Task Force (OMG) • On-going refinement through the JTRS Joint Project Office (JPO) • Including extension to the radio’s signal processing sub-system (SPSS), i.e. firmware resident on (re)programmable processors such as DSPs and FPGAs • Practical implementation feedback • Testing and compliance facilities established for JTRS suppliers (JTel)

  25. Middleware Vendors Must Produce Optimized “SCA” Implementations

  26. SDR Operating Environment (OE)

  27. Optimized Products • For JTRS • SCA specification “granularity” • Optimized ORBs (e.g. e*ORB SDR) • Optimized core framework • Optimized development tools • Optimized integrated SCA Operating Environment • For commercial telecom OEMs • OMG SBC specification “granularity” • Optimized basestation middleware • Optimized development tools

  28. Conclusions • Huge market opportunity for “SCA-derived” middleware beyond military – will benefit all SDR professionals • DoD and Military contractors will benefit • Focus for commercial telecom will remain on cost saving through 3G roll-out • Onus on OMG to ensure “flexibility” of SCA/SBC specs • Onus is on middleware vendors to “package” SCA/SBC-complaint middleware for different markets • Military radio OEMs need to view SCA as a product, not a “project” infrastructure - to achieve critical mass and “prove” SCA for broader markets • Timing is right, basestation vendors are re-looking at architectures for 3.x G – handsets/terminal designers look to basestations for technology guidance (+2-5 yrs) • OMG SBC has the opportunity to be at the centre

  29. About PrismTech • Visit our booth or with • “Sam” Aslam-Mir - CTO • Andy Foster – e*ORB product manager • Murray Conarty – Account executive • Visit PrismTech’s Website at: • www.prismtech.com

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