What's New @ IEEE in Wireless

VOLUME 8 NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 2005

CONTENTS:

1. Analysts See Bandwidth Bottleneck Looming for Wireless Television
2. IEEE Tech Focus Presents 30 Papers on RF Testing
3. Wireless Pervasive Computing Symposium to Offer Lectures and Panels
4. Renew Your IEEE Membership for Chance to Win A Dell Notebook Computer
5. Company Debuts First Multipurpose, Programmable Chip
6. Cellular Service Converging with Wi-Fi
7. New CD-ROM Consolidates WAN Standards
8. Podcasts, Blogs, News Feeds and More at New IEEE Spectrum Web Site
9. Electromagnetic Induction Pads Could Charge Cell Phones Wirelessly
10. An Efficient Fault-Tolerant Distributed Channel Allocation

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1. ANALYSTS SEE BANDWIDTH BOTTLENECK LOOMING FOR WIRELESS TELEVISION
Capacity on a third-generation (3G) wireless network could be exceeded as soon as 2007 if forty percent of subscribers view as little as eight minutes of video daily, according to UK research firm Analysys. Mobile operators have spent billions of dollars on 3G wireless networks in order to deliver new services such as e-mail, music downloads and video, all of which work fine right now, according to analysts, because the network is relatively empty. However, streaming video consumes ten times more network bandwidth than voice traffic. If too many people tune in, the carriers' new third-generation networks could be overwhelmed, according to Analysys. Read more: news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-5886537.html

In related news, attendees at this month's IEEE Broadcast Symposium heard about the first U.S. test of DVB-H (handheld) network technology. The trial uses the L-band spectrum, which had previously been reserved for weather balloon telemetry. Read more about this and similar work: www.tvtechnology.com/dailynews/one.php?id=3344

2. IEEE TECH FOCUS PRESENTS 30 PAPERS ON RF TESTING
Thirty papers on RF testing are available online this month through the IEEE Communications Society's Tech Focus. Tech Focus provides sponsored access to papers from IEEE Communications Society magazines, journals and conferences on rotating monthly topics. Articles this month include "High-performance carrier interferometry OFDM WLANs," "A low-cost test solution for wireless phone RFICs," and "Structural RFIC device testing through built-in thermal monitoring." Visit: www.comsoc.org/tech_focus/

3. WIRELESS PERVASIVE COMPUTING SYMPOSIUM TO OFFER LECTURES AND PANELS
Professor Mario Gerla of UCLA, a leading expert in the field of computer communication systems and ad-hoc networks, will present a lecture at the 2006 International Symposium on Wireless Pervasive Computing. The conference, sponsored by the IEEE Communications Society, will convene 16 to 18 January in Phuket, Thailand, and will cover all aspects of the pervasive computing industry and its relative impact on the lifestyles of individuals in today's global society. Topics include dynamic spectrum management, wireless network architecture, wireless system design, healthcare applications, MIMO systems, multirate and multicarrier, RF Systems, and more. For details, or to register to attend, visit: www.iswpc.org/2006/

Don't miss the next conference you need for your career. IEEE sponsors more than 300 technical conferences and workshops each year, highlighting the latest technological advances. Find events through the IEEE ConferenceSearch Web site at: www.ieee.org/conferencesearch

4. RENEW YOUR IEEE MEMBERSHIP FOR CHANCE TO WIN A DELL NOTEBOOK COMPUTER
IEEE members who renew their memberships online by 15 November will be entered for a chance to win a new Dell Inspiron laptop. The drawing is not open to members of the IEEE Board of Directors or members of the Standing Committees of the Board. The drawing will take place on 29 November. For information on membership renewal, visit: www.ieee.org/renew

5. COMPANY DEBUTS FIRST MULTIPURPOSE, PROGRAMMABLE CHIP
Sandbridge Technologies has put into production what it says is the first programmable mobile chip capable of handling most communications-, media-, and application-related processing by itself, and is compatible with multiple wireless technologies. Until now, using many modules on a chip has increased costs and power consumption to unacceptable levels, but Sandbridge says the chip's architecture cuts costs, and reduces memory-bandwidth requirements and power consumption. The chip contains a mobile processor connected by a bus bridge to four multithreaded, 600-MHz digital signal processors, and its various capabilities are programmed in separate software modules, according to Sandbridge, permitting it to be used for multiple purposes, or in numerous types of devices, such as cellular or Wi-Fi phones, GPS receivers, or digital television or radio receivers. Computer magazine has more: www.computer.org/portal/site/computer/menuitem.5d61c1d591162e4b0ef1bd108bcd45f3/index.jsp?&pName=computer_level1_article&TheCat=1025&path=computer/homepage/1005&file=company.xml&xsl=article.xsl&

6. CELLULAR SERVICE CONVERGING WITH WI-FI
Since the appearance of the IEEE 802.11b/a wireless standard, more and more cellular services are opting to invest in services that utilize voice-over-protocol over broadband links and converged networks, according to an article from EETimes. Converged networks, which provide end-to-end IP-based services like messaging, voice and multimedia, reduce network overhead for wireless carriers while diminishing 85 to 95 percent of the cost to support calls, thanks to the integration of IP networks. Converged networks, which also support ubiquitous-and-secure-connectivity aside from IP services, still present cost barriers preventing the addition of IP Multimedia Subsystems, the "endgame" of the convergence process. Read more: www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=171203685

7. NEW CD-ROM CONSOLIDATES WAN STANDARDS
A new CD-ROM from the IEEE Standards Association offers access to nearly 50 active standards for local, metropolitan, and wireless area networks. In addition, users can search 1,750 keywords, abbreviations, acronyms and definitions through the product's glossary of terms and its VuSpec™ interface. The CD is available at a discounted price through 31 December. For details, visit ShopIEEE: shop.ieee.org/ieeestore/product.aspx?product_no=SE138

8. PODCASTS, BLOGS, NEWS FEEDS AND MORE AT NEW IEEE SPECTRUM WEB SITE
IEEE Spectrum, the flagship magazine of the IEEE, has relaunched its website with numerous new features, including an editor's blog, RSS feeds, webcasts, podcasts, streaming audio, opinion polls, and more. Check it out at: www.spectrum.ieee.org

Not yet using RSS (also known as Really Simple Syndication) to get your daily news fix? IEEE Spectrum has a primer on this rapidly developing communication medium: www.spectrum.ieee.org/feedsfaq

9. ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION PADS COULD CHARGE CELL PHONES WIRELESSLY
A wireless charging system that utilizes electromagnetic induction in place of cumbersome power cords could free cell phone users from portable plug-in chargers to power their phones. Researchers from CambridgeUniversity say the devices, dubbed "splash pads," evolved from a concept in which a magnetic field runs parallel to the surface of a wireless pad, allowing for a uniform output across the device. The new design also enables the pads to utilize super-thin receiver coils and an adjustable regulator that allows for greater control of power supply to the battery. One problem researchers face, however, is finding a way to make the device compatible with contemporary cell phone designs. Read more: www.macworld.com/news/2005/10/10/splashpower/index.php?pf=1

10. AN EFFICIENT FAULT-TOLERANT DISTRIBUTED CHANNEL ALLOCATION
Distributed dynamic channel allocation algorithms have gained a lot of attention due to their high reliability and scalability. But, in most of the algorithms, the cell that wants to borrow a channel has to wait for replies from all its interference neighbors and, hence, is not fault-tolerant. The authors of a paper in the current issue of IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing (v. 4, no. 6) propose a new fault-tolerant algorithm that makes full use of the available channels. Read more: dsonline.computer.org/portal/pages/dsonline/0510/trans.html

WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE IN WIRELESS is a monthly, opt-in e-mail update designed to provide you with the latest news regarding IEEE activities, industry trends, career development tips, and new IEEE product releases. We welcome your feedback on this service.

Managing Editor: John Platt j.platt@ieee.org
Contributing Editors: Julie Compton, Robert J. Howe

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