SBIR Phase I: Development of MAC-to-PHY Convergence Tools for Broadband Fixed Wireless Access

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address one of the major obstacles to commercial development of broadband fixed wireless access under 5 GHz, namely overcoming a "convergence bottleneck" arising from distance-sensitive propagation conditions. It is well known that as distance ranges from line of sight to well beyond line of sight, transmission parameters can degrade dramatically. However, current state-of-the-art treats this condition in a highly unsatisfactory way, through statistical models, through "handshake" schemes, modulation fallback, use of preambles and embedded pilot tones, to name just a few. An innovative concept will be demonstrated for rapid, two-way, unobtrusive and easily scaled RF measurements that permit characterizing thousands of hub-to-subscriber paths precisely without guesswork. Regional operations centers, hub base station and consumer terminals will operate more efficiently due to the network's ability to converge rapidly on near-optimum transmission characteristics. This innovation will make broadband more readily available to populations that live and work where DSL, fiber, and cable modem service is not offered. This includes: people who work in outdoor locations, in hard-to-get-to schools, libraries, college campuses, transportation systems, factories, waterways, and small businesses.