Communications of the ACM
Wireless Controlled From the Cloud
Credit: Technology Review
IBM China Research Lab scientists have developed Wireless Network Cloud (WNC), a new architecture that shifts the signal-processing requirements of wireless networks from base stations into the cloud.
The researchers say moving to the cloud will make it easier and less expensive to upgrade networks, and could lead to wireless networks that can provide better coverage by rapidly adapting to user demand. General-purpose data centers are used to carry out the signal processing entirely in software, which enables the network to be managed in a more centralized way, with the raw signals being relayed to and from multiple antennas, says IBM's Yonghua Lin. The centralized approach also means operators can manage their networks more efficiently.
"IBM's concept is not totally new but rather a combination of familiar themes, such as software-defined radio, network equipment virtualization, and networks as software," says Rutgers University professor Dipankar Raychaudhuri.
From "Wireless Controlled From the Cloud"
Technology Review (03/19/10) Graham-Rowe, Duncan
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