In what they describe as the world’s first all-software base station system, two companies believe they are breaking new ground in second-generation access network technology.
Vanu Inc. and Mid-Tex Cellular said they have completed a successful trial deployment.
“This trial, the first of its kind, demonstrates the viability of a software defined radio base station solution and marks a significant milestone in the effort to provide rural cellular operators with a more flexible, cost-efficient wireless network,” said both companies.
The companies said the technology allows carriers to upgrade to new air interface standards and deploy revenue-generating services. This avoids expensive network hardware overlays, they said.
Rural carriers with second-generation systems, according to the companies, can upgrade to third generation without huge capital investments.
“Future wireless networks that will simultaneously support combinations of AMPS, TDMA, GSM/GPRS, EGDE, CDMA and 3G technologies will allow rural carriers to enter into roaming agreements with multiple nationwide operators and support a myriad of circuit switch, packet and multimedia services,” said the companies.
Vanu said its software radio technology has been integrated into Mid-Tex Cellular’s 8,000-square-mile 800 MHz network at sites in DeLeon and Gorman, Texas. Mid-Tex said it fielded the network with both base station transceivers and base station controllers powered by Vanu software application running on Hewlett Packard Proliant servers.
“Based on the portability of the software and its ability to run on industry-standard servers, this flexible solution enables rural providers like Mid-Tex Cellular to test new revenue-generating applications with subscribers, as well as facilitate the carrier’s roaming agreements with nationwide operators such as Cingular and AT&T Wireless,” said the companies.
“We took a chance on a leading-edge technology,” said Toney Prather, chief executive officer of Mid-Tex, “and we are rewarded with the addition of a feature-rich GSM system.”
